Chandler to vote on allowing residents to keep chickens

CHANDLER, Ariz. — The East Valley could soon see more chickens not on store shelves, but in backyards.

On Wednesday, the Chandler’s Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing to gather in put on whether residents should be allowed to keep chickens.

Several Valley cities already allow a certain number of hens, but not roosters, on single-family properties. In her Phoenix backyard, Simona Wong has four hens providing fresh eggs for her family.

“When they’re in production, we get two to three eggs every day or every other day.”

Wong said caring for the chickens isn’t difficult. In fact, she said the hens are less work than her dogs, but the summer heat can be challenging so she makes sure the coop is shaded by trees and turns on a mister system.

“You know where your source comes from and what you give your chickens and what you feed them is really important,” she said. “If it’s important to your family, you do this.”

Wong said they checked with their neighbors before getting the chickens and haven’t had a single noise complaint.

“You can in the morning hear them when they’re laying. They cackle a lot. It’s kind of like a dog barking, it’s not really loud at all.”

The Chandler City Council will make the final decision on chickens in residential areas. It’s scheduled for a vote on May 23.