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Chicken debate reveals many layers of nostalgia
The story
begs for puns and other word play. “The chickens can’t come home to roost;” “opposition to chickens was hard-boiled;” “the 2-2 vote shows how scrambled opinions were on the issue.”
But the final vote on backyard hens in Kill Devil Hills reflects deeper divisions facing the Outer Banks, especially as they relate to emerging trends.
One of my first impressions is the apparent contradiction expressed by many locals and visitors, often in our own commentary section.
There appears to be a groundswell of nostalgia supporters who remember the Outer Banks the “way it was,” circa 1960-1980. They decry the suburbanization, commercialization and over-development of the county.
Somehow I suspect that in the old Outer Banks, no one would have cared if someone had chickens in their backyard. Or whether a singlewide trailer was placed next to a residential home. Or if a business placed merchandise, an A-frame sign or even an off-site sign along the bypass.
And certainly, I doubt public employees roamed the streets on weekends looking for illegal yard sale signs and commercial banner violations.
So, do we really want the old Outer Banks, where zoning was non-existent and your property was, well, your property?
The reality is, chickens, like bright yellow buildings, beach chairs lined up along the bypass or fast-food joints offend many of the same people who claim our area has become another Myrtle Beach.
We long for the old days, but only when they comport with our idea of what the old days really mean. And most of us long ago accepted more and more zoning regulations that in the end, trump the property rights that formed a basis of our country.
Our reluctance to embrace these changes also sets our area against modern trends that are considered healthy, environmentally sound and economically viable.
Kitty Hawk did all it could do to keep an open-air market out of town.
Turn on any cable channel and you will see stories regaling the return of American- made products, local markets occupied by local artisans, and the value of foods produced at nearby farms that focus on natural methods rather than chemical manipulation of produce and livestock.
Yet Kitty Hawk’s council went to great lengths to make just such an outdoor market impossible, just a lot away from a Hooter’s the town had earlier approved. It eventually went belly-up.
It took Dare County three years to allow commercial fishermen to sell their harvest at local farmers markets, and even with the new regulations, a number of species allowed for sale in other states are still prohibited here.
Local livestock farmers who could easily supply beef and pork to willing buyers must hire on-site USDA inspectors at great cost and comply with dozens of regulations if they want to sell their product to consumers.
Meanwhile, the large processing plants favored by the USDA continue to spew out meats that seem to face recalls on a national basis three or four times a year.
And now it’s chickens. Not only are backyard eggs likely to be a healthier choice, many hobby hatcheries are bringing back what are known as “heritage” breeds of chickens. But a zoning exception to allow residents to keep up to six hens in Kill Devil Hills failed to earn a majority on the Board of Commissioners.
Many of these breeds are endangered. They produce eggs and meat superior to the inbred, genetically engineered poultry favored by commercial farms, while lacking the potentially harmful side-effects of chemically altered feed, antibiotic medicines and other practices favored by large-scale producers.
We might not be able to turn back the clock on The Home Depot or Wal-Mart. But it’s hard to argue buying fish at an open-air market caught that morning, picking up a wood carving from a local craftsman at an outdoor market,or consuming eggs from your own backyard isn’t a harkening to a simpler time.
A time exactly like the Outer Banks many claim has been destroyed.
Yes, I’ll take a few chickens living next door over a yard with three barking labs and enough manure production to make a hot summer day outside reminiscent of the hogs farms I grew up near in Virginia Beach.
So the question is, will our leaders join the 21st century and endorse practices that have been around for centuries, or will we continue to look for more Targets, Rite-Aids and shrimp from Indonesia to fuel our economy?
See what people are saying:
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KDH Resident says:
My sentiments exactly – Thanks Russ!
disgusted says:
I bet you if one of them good ol’ boys sittin in a seat wanted chickens, it wouldn’t have been a discussion about it..its just the “wrong” people who want it and those people who want it do not have deep pockets. Thats what it all boils down too. There is a propane tank that was pu in a residential neighbor hood and was even voted down by a good majority…but it still got put up because its not who u know, its who you pay
Bill says:
Hopefully, your comments will encourage our OBX leaders to be more thoughtful. I really don’t want a crowing rooster next door. And, I certainly am tired of dogs all over the beach and poop on our streets and boardwalks. But, I do think that the way you have discussed the issue can serve as a model for a greater discourse on the future of the Outer Banks. Thank you.
beachornot says:
Or will voter apathy allow the powers with the most to gain the sole ability to steer the ship?
KHer says:
Exactly, Russ.
Seems the loudest voices protesting whatever are the descendants of old Outer Banks families who sold all the land to the developers. Now they wish for the old days.
The chicken has come home to roost.
annoyed says:
This kind of reminds me how the town of Kitty Hawk is worried about what the OBX Romance store sells but isn’t worried about Longboards just a few hundred feet north having hip hop nights that attract gang memebers from all over.
Lorelei says:
This debate is not solely about property owners rights … It is about the ability to grow our own foods, feed our families local, organic produce. Backyard hens (I didn’t say roosters, which are loud, but hens, which are quiet) are a terrific source of fresh, delicious eggs. 2 -3 hens can easily supply eggs for a family of 4. They are also a way to decrease the hormones, chemicals, and other additives that are typically added to our food supply in the form of fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormone, and antibiotics. On top of that, chickens actually make great pets and are smarter than most people imagine. Properly penned and roosted, your neighbor will not even know that you have a couple chickens in your backyard.
Banning backyard hens is like banning growing tomatoes in your backyard.
Beach Bouy says:
Thirty years ago, the OBX was something really special. The people that lived here knew it. The people lucky enough to even know about this place knew it, and anyone who visited here knew it. It was remote, a little on the wild side, and you felt a certain sense of real American freedom here.
Then came the contractors, the real estate moguls and civic leaders who cared more about their own short term benefit than the long term prospect of the fragile ecology we live on. The real estate developers and contractors wanted minimal restrictions to exploit the undeveloped properties and got what they wanted by leveraging the weaknesses of the commissioners. Mostly greed.
The land was negligently exploited. Houses were squeezed together in poorly planned communities. Droves of Northerners, sick of living in the ugly, dirty, violent, crowded cities they created back home, found the OBX an attractive alternative and began moving here. Pretty soon, the OBX began to resemble the places they all came from.
The outsiders got themselves elected as local officials. They began to govern like the idiots who ruined the places where they grew up. Lot sizes were allowed to be just barely large enough to park a car on, much less a house. Zoning restrictions and city ordinances failed to adequately protect the elements that made the OBX special.
In fact, everything that could be exploited was exploited, and little attention was paid to maintaining the rustic quaintness and remote island retreat feeling that used to give us a sense of excitement about being here.
It seems that the only thing anyone considered for the past 30 years was how to squeeze more people, more cottages and more strip malls onto what used to be the last Eastern frontier, and the best kept secret on the Eastern seaboard.
So, now, we have your Outback and Applebee’s, your K-Mart and Wal-Mart, your big box home improvement stores and a whole bunch of the other bull sh*t that paved paradise in other places before finally finding their way to the last special place on Earth. An it was special. Very special.
But, everything, from the Colingtonian dialect of the local crabbers and watermen, to the quiet solitude of once quaint communities, are now replaced by the noisy traffic on what locals still all the “by-pass”, the stab-you-in-the-back smiles of Northern escapees with Realtor badges on their lapels, and all the logos of the national chains that blight the landscape of every other urban destination in America.
The OBX is still speical. But, most of what really made is special 30 years ago is gone. What’s left is quickly evaporating. And, when it’s all gone, they will call it progress. Is this really the kind of progress we want here? Won’t someone please wake up and stop the insanity before… well, forget it. It’s already too late.
Beth Gordon says:
GREAT ARTICLE AND COMMENTS!
I’M GOING TO FIND OUT WHAT MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS ARE AT A “U.S. CONSTITUTION SEMINAR” TONIGHT AT LIBERTY CHRISTIAN CHURCH OFF COLINGTON RD. (2ND LEFT AFTER 2ND BRIDGE ON WILLIAMS DR.) IT IS SPONSORED BY THE OUTER BANKS TEA PARTY, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC,$5.00 FOR A STUDY GUIDE FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL STUDIES. POT LUCK DINNER/SOCIAL HOUR STARTS AT 5:00 P.M. (BRING A DISH IF YOU WANT TO EAT) SEMINAR AFTER DINNER.
KDHgal says:
Excellent commentary, Russ!
Just hope some of these things can be re-visited…with an open mind.
Harold says:
Thanks for providing such an insightful perspective. Thanks for keeping us all thinking!
Bill says:
Spot on Russ, excellent commentary!
roanokeislander says:
i am glad i live on roanoke island.
You Stand Corrected says:
Next thing you know these people are going to want to allow sheep, pigs, goats, cows and horses on their 5,000 sq ft postage sized lot. If you want chickens move to a farm. As depressed as real estate is you can buy some land in Currituck real cheap.
old school says:
It is in my opinion, now these are words that each of us have ,along with that other thing you know its on our backside and seems to be the guiding preference of the commissioners. There is some smarts to what has been said about chickens, the roosters crow and the hens well they lay bountiful eggs each day that could help keep you and me healthy. I was not born here but just a short drive inland and came here over 35 years ago to live the dream of freedom that was so being dissolved in the cities. This day and age of progress as we call it is more like backwards thinking and dragging us to an early demise.
We allow bars, drinking, cigar, and romance shops but no chickens that eat bugs fertilize the soil and give us a protein packed source. Gee what was I thinking, who needs good health lets just keep our trash can full of the bad and forget the good. Oh yea don’t forget we are the smart ones.
Teresa Long-Blevins says:
My family has lived here for over 40 years and the changes I have seen have not been for the better. I want to raise chickens, not just for the eggs, but because it is CHEAPER than going to the grocery store and buying them!
Beach Bouy says:
Beth, the constitution doesn’t seem to mean much anymore. Both republican and democratic administrations seem to ignore the constitution, or bend it’s meaning, to do as they wish. They can do it. You can’t.
Pat Avon says:
It seems there is no common sense anymore..a few hens,,natural food…its your property..when is it going to stop..the island of NO is growing..So the rich can take over all the land we love…..and make it their Playground..and keep the average person out… bringing the big city here, so they can have everything they need at their fingertips..that’s what I am seeing everyday…
Sue says:
Beach Buoy, can’t take away from or add to what you said.
question? says:
No one has even mentioned this yet….is not one person concerned about all that chicken fertilizer on a tiny CITY lot which depends on a septic system? These lots can barely afford a septic system that perks much less tolerate / sustain lifestock? KDH has small lots, look at the avalon section, they are tiny, houses on top of each other as it is now. Some people’s septic systems malfunction during a hard rain, I cannot imagine them having chickens grazing on top of it. The same folks who complained that KDH let ‘anything go” when Lowe’s passed are now mad because they said “no” to chickens. The BOC is doing their job.
ekim says:
YO AMERICANS BUILD YOUR PENS & RAISE YOUR HENS, I DOUBT WE WILL SEE CKICKS IN THE BACK OF COP CRUISERS!!! STAND UP BE CLUCKED I MEAN HEARED!!!!! MAKE A STAND!!!!!
Rhode Island Red says:
You Stand Corrected: I support the right of my neighbor to request the right to have a pig (my family already has one!), or a goat, a horse, or anything else he would like to request. It is absurd to stand against one thing, because “someone” might want to apply for something else. Let them apply. I can just hear your argument 150 years ago “Free the slaves?! Why, the next thing you know,women will want the right to vote!”
Happy Barracuda says:
BEACH BOUY!! A VERY WELL WRITTEN COMMENT AND EVERY WORD IS TRUE………….
CoffeeGirl says:
Question- the issue of the chicken fertilizer was fully addressed in the 4 page ordinance. You had to have a plan in place to remove the droppings to even apply to keep hens. As for the lot size, if you can keep hens New York City, I am sure it will be fine here.
KDHChix says:
The June 11, 2012 Kill Devil Hills Board of Commissioners meeting will broadcast on the Government Access Channel, local Channel 20, as follows:
Tuesday, June 19, 2012 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
See the hearing for yourself. Listen to the views of both sides and make your own decision.
**This should be of interest to all Dare County residents as there is a rather lengthy condescending diatribe by a candidate for county commissioner.**
M. says:
Hey question – two big dogs make a lot more poop than 2 or 3 chickens. Ask an old timer who lived in a big city 50 years ago and they will know many people who kept a few chickens on their city lots – it was standard practice. I don’t think home grown eggs are cheaper but they definitely taste better. And they do make fun pets as they all have different personalities. It doesn’t seem to be a problem for Key West.
question? says:
Thankfully, this is not NY City. NY City also has a sewer system and city water. We do not. We rely on water from ground to get our fresh water for drinking. Again, your chickens can effect your neighbors water if they have a well.If every property owner owned Chickens there is no earthly way you could have clean water for drinking or septic systems which function proeprly (they don’t function properly now and you want to add more stress?) What was the “plan” in place to remove droppings, please share.
CoffeeGirl says:
Question-KDH DOES have city water. The plan is to compost the droppings which is more than you can do w/ cat or dog poop. Most people don’t even clean that up. If they do, it goes into the landfill which leaks into the ground water. If you have a well for watering your yard, it’s most likely 80 feet deep so 6the chickens pooping above it is no problem.
eggcelent says:
question?- you should have read the proposed ordinance. Along with the fee and application, a written waste management plan was required. That plan had to be approved before a permit was issued. Keep in mind this was for a maximum of 6 hens that would produce less waste per day than a 40 lb dog.
If you live in KDH, then there is an extremely high chance your water comes from the R/O plant next to the library. Your drinking water would be safe from chickens.
Could have been done! says:
Due to most lot sizes in KDH, there is a decent size population that still would not qualify to have chickens based on the set backs. Not to mention, some neighborhoods have covenants that specifically say no poultry. For those who would still qualify, just set the penalty fee for mismanaging your permit high enough and people will take great care of their chickens and yard!
Paul says:
“But a zoning exception to allow residents to keep up to six hens in Kill Devil Hills failed to earn a majority on the Board of Commissioners.”
Kind of hard to have a majority vote when one of the comissioners is absent. Pretty convenient timing. And not rescheduling so all can vote is pretty cowardly. They took the easy way out.
luvcolingtonharbour says:
Bring on the chickens … they have to be better than the gang trash!
James says:
For starters the missing commissioner has not been there for a while now so had nothing to do with timing. As far as rescheduling, he has been out with a health issue and they don’t know when he will be back. Add to all of that the citizens who wanted this were upset the last time they pushed back the vote. Taking the easy way out is not coming to meetings and making uninformed comments.
Where and Why says:
Paul, why was the one commissioner absent and then supposedly at the planning dept. first thing the next morning handling personal business? Depending on when the board found out he was not attending the meeting may have been too late to push it to the next meeting. So a great question would be when did they know he was not attending and who knew before the meeting if they knew? Would it even have mattered if he was there? He may have been against having chickens! If I am correct, the citizens could ask to have it voted on again!
Beach guy says:
Beach Bouy exactly. Hmmmm i will bet if walmart or lowes wanted chickens????? Any body fish anymore ? They will shoot you over a striped bass.
one more local says:
To ‘Where and Why’….It was voted on -2 for, 2 against, and deemed ‘dead’, not to be re-visited. I still don’t know why and still don’t understand……