Norman 'Goes To The Birds' With Passing Of New Ordinance

The city of Norman says ‘yes' to chicken coops with the passing of an ordinance that allows homeowners to have certain fowls in their backyards.

For the last two years, 83-year-old Ed Kessler housed five hens.

"Some children think food grows in the market, but that is, of course, crazy," Kessler said.

So when the issue came up whether to allow or ban the birds in Norman, he fought to prove this should be a way of life.

"One woman… said chickens poop all day and she woke to the smell of the chickens. There is no smell and there is no noise," he said.

"Hens only. No roosters are allowed. They can have four hens and they need to be kept in a chicken coop and there also needs to be a chicken run attached to the coop," Susan Connors of the City of Norman said.

Neighbors say the hens really don't make much noise and the chicken coop has to be kept 25 feet away from neighboring property.

The ordinance was passed after some homeowners pushed the city council to develop a fresh and local food source.