Salinas considers legalizing chicken raising for residents

In many cities on the Central Coast, raising chickens in your own backyard is something the whole family enjoys.

When it comes to chickens, one Salinas family has three hens that provide free pest control, fertilizer and left-over food disposal in the backyard, on top of three eggs every morning for breakfast.

“The yolks are orange compared to the eggs you get at the store,” said the mother of the family, who wanted to remain anonymous. “So ours are fresh, they’re rich, they’re delicious.”

It is actually illegal for Salinas residents to raise chickens on their property in Salinas. But more California cities are beginning to allow these backyard birds, according to City Councilman Steve McShane.

“There’s a lot of folks that have come with interest to raise four, six, eight birds for eggs for their own use, not to mention the lesson it could teach children to know where their food came from,” said McShane.

“My son gets to go out there, he’s learning responsibility, he’s learning to feed, he’s learning to make sure they’re well taken care of,” said the mother.

McShane says his ordinance allows all Salinas residents to have four to six hens. He stresses no roosters will be allowed. He is still working on the details on how this will be managed, to make sure the chickens are well-cared for by responsible owners.

How this applies to apartment and condo renters is still a question as well, but McShane understands there are concerns.

“I think it would be lovely to have fresh eggs every day, but I think the noise would be kind of a nuisance,” said Linda, a Salinas resident.

McShane says there are also concerns about cock fighting within the city. But for the Salinas family KION spoke with, the noise is something they can deal with over a nice breakfast.

“It’s fun, it’s fun to have them,” said the mother, who says the chickens are not that loud most of the time.

The ordinance is in the process of being drafted by the city right now, and it will be four to six weeks before it heads to city council.