Our Position Statement

Placer County Planning Department is presenting its proposed text amendment to to allow three hens - roosters, guinea hens, peacock hens and exotic hens are excluded - in single family residential zones. Just this week the proposal was revised for the third time to allow three hens in residential multi-family zones as well.

Staff is requesting input from each Municipal Advisory Council during the month of January and February.

As proposed, the hens are required to be “confined to the subject property and shall not be allowed off-site.” However, the proposal falls short of prescribing an appropriate enclosure to protect the animals from ground and/or aerial predators.

Furthermore, the proposal has not sought input from 4H, or the Animal Services Advisory Committee (a group of non-profit animal welfare and rescue organizations) before drafting this proposal which has led to this linear ‘concept’ without appropriate details for implementation.

Finally, this proposal falls short of establishing best practices for maintaining public health, assuring animal welfare, minimizing nuisances and providing appropriate administration.

At this time, we OPPOSE this zoning change as presented but feel we can support it for residential single family zones, once parallel text amendments are proposed for the “Animal raising and keeping” section of the County’s ordinance as well as other sections that will be affected.

We have compiled a comparison chart of other city/county/town zoning ordinances relative to the keeping of hens at:

www.humanesocietysierrafoothills.org

Click on Hen Ordinance

If you would like to help us advocate for the humane treatment of these animals, please write to your Municipal Advisory Council and elected representative and ask them to provide a complete and comprehensive program. Contact information can be found on the website above.

Thank you.

Humane Society of the Sierra Foothills

Rosemary Frieborn,

RVT, Humane Officer