Unity family appeals backyard chicken violation, want birds classified as pets - TribLIVE

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Kristin Kuhns and her husband, Jeff, say the chickens they keep in their Unity backyard provide their family with companionship as well as eggs, and they want township officials to ease up on regulation of the birds.

After a neighbor in the Lawson Heights neighborhood complained about the Kuhnses’ 20 chickens, the township put them on notice that they had 20 days to get rid of the fowl, face a potential daily fine of at least $300 or file an appeal.

“It would be just like asking somebody to give up their dog or their cat that they love,” said Kristin Kuhns.

“The chickens will come in the house,” Jeff Kuhns said. “They’ll sit on your lap and you can pet them.”

The family chose to appeal the violation and has applied for a variance, to be considered at the Tuesday, Aug. 25 meeting of the Unity zoning hearing board.

But the Kuhnses also plan to attend Thursday’s supervisors meeting, since they want the township to make an ordinance change that would not pigeonhole chickens as livestock and would allow people in residential areas to keep them as a hobby.

Kristin Kuhns, who teaches in the Ligonier Valley School District and at Westmoreland County Community College, said the family’s interest in chickens began over a year ago, after son Mick, 11, hatched an egg and gave the chick to a local farmer as a fourth-grade project at Baggaley Elementary School.

The family initially bought a flock of 10 chickens and later added 10 smaller bantam birds. They say the 15 hens produce about a dozen eggs each day, more than they can use, so they’ve been sharing eggs with neighbors.

“Families are now, more than ever, struggling to buy groceries, so us being able to give eggs away to neighbors is really a big benefit,” Jeff Kuhns said.

Kristin Kuhns said the family’s chickens all have names and distinct personalities and are treated as pets. She said they don’t intend to slaughter any of them for their meat.

The chickens have “definitely been emotionally supportive,” she said. “During the pandemic, everyone’s super stressed-out. It’s giving me something to concentrate on.”

The Kuhnses have amassed more than 900 supporters on a Change.org petition advocating for backyard chickens in the township.

A separate Change.org petition opposing chickens in Unity’s residential areas had collected about 30 online signatures as of Wednesday.

The opposition petition cites crowing roosters and the attraction of predators among objections to backyard chickens.

Kristin Kuhns counters that she is able to control the crowing of her five roosters by keeping them under a dark covering overnight, until about 7:30 a.m. Jeff Kuhns said there have been no signs of predators on their property of less than an acre. He noted web cameras help them keep tabs on their three chicken coops.

The current law

Unity zoning officer Harry Hosack said chickens are considered an agricultural use under existing township zoning regulations.

They aren’t allowed on a property that is less than 2 acres. Also, a chicken coop is classified as an accessory farm building and must be located at least 100 feet away from a neighboring property.

According to Hosack, a few other chicken owners in the township received violation notices, but they opted to give up their birds.

Among those is the family of Chad Scaries, who lives in the Charter Oak community. He said the family decided to place its seven hens at a friend’s farm, noting they’re not able to absorb the fee for filing an appeal after recently moving to the township.

“Some may believe that they are just chickens,” he said, “but to us they are as much a part of our family as our two dogs.”

Derry, N. Huntingdon debating chicken rules

Unity isn’t alone in confronting the debate over backyard chickens.

Nearby Derry Borough has a blanket restriction against raising chickens in the community where housing is dense.

Vice President Al Checca said borough council, responding to interest from residents, has appointed a committee to consider establishing provisions for chickens. But he said the issue has been placed on hold until the borough hires a part-time zoning officer. For now, zoning issues are handled by a third-party provider.

“We’re exploring all options,” Checca said regarding chicken regulations. “We have homes that are less than 25 feet from one another on small lots. Those are things that need to be considered.”

Officials in North Huntingdon also are debating proposed regulations for backyard chickens.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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