If you haven’t heard, there are some
people in South Portland who would like to keep chickens as pets.
Thanks to the hard work and marketing savvy of the Collins family,
readers of local papers such as The Sentry know more about raising and
keeping urban chickens than they might have thought there was to know.

    On Monday, we will learn if their talking points and
media offesive was enough to convince at least four of the seven city
councilors to give the peeps a chance.

We hope it does.

    But that does not mean we aren’t a bit skeptical
about some of the claims. Just because a regulation stipulates that
people clean their coops regularly doesn’t mean they will and just
because a regulation requires a coop be built to a certain
specification doesn’t mean it will be maintained in that condition for
five, ten or more years down the line. Children grow up and grow bored
with chores. Families split or fall on hard times. Houses get sold. In
short, circumstances change. It should come as a surprise to no one
that not everyone follows the letter or spirit of the law all the time
(just ask those living next to illegal chickens).

    But all that must be balanced against the fact that
the regulations will be structured to dissuade all but the most
dedicated. Yes, police and code enforcement officers will receive a few
extra calls, but we don’t believe it will be excessive and if it does,
there’s nothing to stop a future council from repealing the ordinance.
Come on, South Portland, give peeps a chance.

–Ward Peck