SYKESVILLE -- The issue of raising chickens on small residential lots in Sykesville comes home to roost with the town's Planning and Zoning Commission this week in a meeting scheduled for Monday, June 7.

Sykesville's Town Council recommended in May that the planning commission examine the issue and make a recommendation to the council.

The commission meets Monday at 7 p.m. at the Sykesville Town House.

The request stems from an April request by resident Kim Pickett to have a text amendment of the town code so she can raise hens on her one-third acre lot on Maple Avenue. She said she would be raising hens for their eggs.

"It's a great thing to do, but right now it's pretty much impossible," she said about raising chickens in town.

Sykesville's ordinance for residential 10,000 and 20,000 zoning allows for chickens and coops -- as long as there is a 200-foot setback. Pickett would likely request a setback of about 20 feet or maybe less.

Town attorney Dennis Hoover said there are issues the council would have to legislate if they allow residents to raise chickens in small residential lots, because the 200-feet setback addresses concerns about sounds and smells, he said.

"Are you going to dictate the size of a hen house? Are you going to limit the number of chickens you can put there? Are you going to require them to be fenced?" he said.

Pickett said she agrees firm rules are needed to legislate hen houses.

Pickett could ask for a variance from the town's Board of Zoning Appeals, but Town Manager Matt Candland said he couldn't "in good faith" recommend such a request to the board.

What complicates Pickett's issue is how her property adjoins neighbors. Her front yard is the backyard of one neighbor, and her backyard is another neighbor's front yard. She estimated her setbacks from adjoining properties are 30 feet in the front, 40 feet in the back and 15 feet on the sides.

Candland said the best approach might be a pilot program to determine the impact.

Councilwoman Leslie Reed said she's concerned about people who might not be as responsible as Pickett, as well as potential predators such as snakes, raccoons and skunks.

"(Neighbors) might not want this type of stuff visiting their homes," she said.

But Pickett said she doesn't think the trend will become widespread.

"If you think there's going to be 30 people rushing to go buy chickens, I really doubt it," she said.

Other towns, and Carroll County government, handle chickens in a variety of ways. For instance, Hampstead and Taneytown do not allow raising chickens in town, while Union Bridge allows chickens, if they are in a pen or coop.

New Windsor doesn't allow livestock unless a zoning administrator provides an exception for youth activities, such as 4-H or Future Farmers of America. Westminster permits chickens in its agricultural zone, and no coop or pen can be within 10 feet of a street or within 50 feet of a dwelling.

The county permits up to six chickens on property that's less than 3 acres, said Jay Voight, county zoning administrator.

Meanwhile, Pickett said people are contacting her because of press coverage of the issue; including people in other counties who want to raise chickens on their property.

"There are people everywhere doing this, whether it's permitted or not," she said. "Most of the time, if you're responsible about it, it is not a nuisance to anyone."

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