Town of Orange Park upholds backyard chicken ban

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — There’s no doubt about it: Julie Williams and her husband love chickens.

“We really like them because they give us wonderful, organic eggs and they're sweet, they're kind, they're cuddly, they make really good pets. Our kids love them,” Williams said.

When the Williams’ first got their birds roughly five years ago, they weren't allowed in the Town of Orange Park. Despite considering a pilot program to permit them, council members recently decided they still shouldn't be allowed.

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“We got input from a lot of other jurisdictions about do's and don'ts keeping backyard chickens. It’s basically how to be a good neighbor and we put that into a draft ordinance, but the council decided instead of moving ahead with the ordinance, we were better off without it,” town manager Jim Hanson said.

Going forward, unless someone formally complains about their neighbor’s chickens and a code enforcement officer comes out, by default, they'll remain.

“They’re saying they're going to look the other way. Don’t ask, don't tell,” Williams said.

The Williams family tells Action News Jax Erica Bennett the upkeep of their chickens is fairly simple. They converted an old dog kennel into a chicken coop. It’s got outdoor protective wiring and even a hot wire to protect it from predators at night

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Hanson said despite Clay and Duval counties allowing backyard birds, for now, they're good with Orange Park's decision.

“Anything you can come back up again in the future, but I don't think there's a desire to address it again right now or in the near future,” Hanson said.

Cox Media Group