Manatee introduces pilot chicken project

APRIL FOOLS —

MANATEE COUNTY — The recent squawking about urban chicken-keeping in Manatee County may get louder as a new pilot program comes to roost in the East County.

Manatee commissioners last week approved the county’s Chicken In Every Lot initiative — a pilot program to see whether urban chicken-keeping would be successful. Through the program, every homeowner in University Park, Palm-Aire, Tara and University Place will receive a chicken coop, four chickens and a three-month supply of feed. Those residents will be asked to care for the chickens daily as well as complete weekly reports for commissioners and program officials to examine.

The program is a response to the recent uproar CLUCK (Citizens Lobbying for Urban Chicken Keeping) made following their recent success in Sarasota, which approved its chicken-keeping legislation last year.
Manatee officials said they had hoped to include Lakewood Ranch residents in the pilot program but met fierce resistance from Schroeder-Manatee Ranch President and CEO Rex Jensen.

“This is just clucked up,” Jensen said. “Chickens belong on farms, in grocery stores, with Colonel Sanders and on the table. Not in the backyard.”

District 5 Commissioner Donna Hays said she was disappointed with Jensen’s opposition and hopes he will reconsider once he sees the program’s anticipated success.