Woodbury approves backyard chickens for some residents

A Girl Scout from Troop 58068 told the Woodbury City Council recently that they should allow backyard chickens in the city: They cheer people up, she said.

It turned out that chickens were on an upcoming agenda and, perhaps pushed a bit by the scout’s lobbying, the Woodbury City Council at their next meeting passed a new ordinance allowing for backyard hens.

The new ordinance went into effect on Oct. 23, the night of the council meeting, and will allow people who live on property zoned R-2, a “rural estate” district, to have backyard chickens. A typical city lot is zoned R-4 and those areas still cannot have chickens, the council said.

The city has received requests “here and there” for the last several years about backyard chickens, City Council Member Andrea Date said.

Backyard chickens have come home to roost — and never left — in a host of other Minnesota cities that allow them, from Hopkins to Thief River Falls. It’s long been allowed in both St. Paul and Minneapolis, and more cities started approving backyard coops during the pandemic, when interest spiked.

In Woodbury, it wasn’t until the question was included on the city’s biannual survey that city staff knew how people felt. The survey found less support for chickens on a typical city lot — just 13% of respondents said they strongly approve of the idea, while 43% percent strongly disapproved — but a majority approved of backyard chickens on lots of 1 acre or more.

The city’s rules until recently only allowed chickens on “rural estate” properties of 5 or more acres.

The new ordinance allows up to six hens, but no roosters, on property less than 4 acres that meets the zoning requirements. Larger properties can have an additional two chickens per acre above 4 acres. The ordinance also sets a height limit for chicken coops of 7 feet. No license or permit is required in Woodbury for backyard chickens.

If backyard chickens become popular and locals want to see the restrictions lifted further to include city lots, that might be revisited in the future, Date said. Even if the city waives restrictions, however, many homeowners would also need to get permission from their homeowner’s association.

So what should residents know if they want to start a backyard chicken coop?

At the urban farm store EggPlant in St. Paul, chicks are for sale but usually not this time of year, said Audrey Matson. The store sells day-old chicks starting in February all the way through July. The timing allows the chicks to become fully grown before winter sets in. New chicks typically get raised in controlled conditions — think a cardboard box with a heat lamp — that keeps them around 90 degrees for the first few weeks of life.

The chicks cost up to $10 each, and owners should expect to pay another $100 to $200 for some of the basic gear. The cost of the coop can be highly variable, said Matson. Some people spend thousands for a custom-made coop, while others build their own and spend much less.