Madison Alderwoman Marsha Rummel is crying 'fowl' over the city's four year old chicken raising ordinance. Currently, the law allows people living in single-family homes to have chickens. Rummel wants to allow people living in flats and apartment buildings to also have the birds. She believes there is a lot of illegal chicken raising going on right now she's hoping a new ordinance will "make it right."
The chicken raisers would still need to pay a license fee to the city, keep the animals in a fenced enclosure, and register the birds with the federal government for disease tracking purposes. Roosters would not be allowed. No public hearing is planned right now. Rummel says she wants to get her proposal in writing first.
Rummel says she has friends that raise chickens.
"I think they're cool. They're fun. They're outside. They're eating grubs. They're doing their chicken thing."
Backyard chickens have become popular in the city since a documentary called "Mad City Chickens" debuted at the Madison Film Festival in March.
(Contributed by Jason Fischer – WIBA)
