By Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS – Columbus health officials have tweaked draft regulations for farmyard animals that will lower the proposed permit fees and allow more room for chicks in yards where adult chickens are raised.
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They made the changes after hearing the concerns of residents who raise chickens and other animals.
“They were really helpful understanding what their needs are,” said Jose Rodriguez, spokesman for Columbus Public Health.
So, officials changed some things:
* The proposed four-year permit fee would be reduced from $150 to $100 for animals weighing less than 500 pounds.
* The rules allow for temporary enclosures for chicks, while the area for permanent coops will be limited to 64 square feet and 6 feet in height on properties smaller than 5 acres.
* The roaming time within a fence would be increased from two to four hours.
* Columbus Public Health would confiscate animals that endanger health or safety, or if the welfare of the animals is in question.
“The changes they made definitely reflect the feedback I heard at the meetings I attended,” said Kate Hodges, who raises quail in North Linden. She’s glad the revised regulations would allow her to keep more chicks. She said she has five adult quail and 40 chicks.
The growing number of complaints over barnyard animals, mostly about chickens, and the waste they produce prompted officials consider new regulations in 2015. In 2014, Columbus received 140 complaints about chickens and other animals, up from 30 in 2010, as more people became involved in urban farming.