I am 10 years old and I have been trying to change the ordinance for keeping chickens as pets. The Concord Planning Board concluded that the current property line buffer should be reduced to five feet. The safety board will discuss this on Aug. 31.
Some people think chickens might be noisy pets, but they are only as loud as human conversation once a day when they lay an egg. Chickens are easy to care for and train. They can even be taught to ride a skateboard and play tic-tac-toe.
Mosquitos and ticks that carry harmful diseases are eaten up by chickens. Chickens turn insects into fresh eggs and, unlike pesticides, don’t harm the environment.
Because of the pandemic, kids won’t be going to school, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn from chickens in their backyard. Two amazing role models who have had a positive impact on the world learned a lot from chickens when they were kids. As a young boy, civil rights leader and politician John Lewis had a flock of chickens that were his responsibility. He cared for them, preached to them, and even baptized a few of them. Jane Goodall, a primatologist and anthropologist, learned patience from chickens. She sat in a henhouse for four hours, waiting to see how an egg was laid. Now is a good time to learn patience and empathy from chickens.
If you support reducing the buffer, please tell your city councilor and send an email to AGradySexton@concordnh.gov.
FRANCESCA BROWN
Concord