Editor:

 I was delighted to read last week that that Stacey and Olivia Collins  - who successfully campaigned for backyard laying hens in South Portland - are coming to Scarborough to offer a how-to course on the keeping of chickens.  With egg prices up 35 percent in the past year, they and their message come at an important time. 

 As the backyard chicken movement grows, it would be useful for residents to know where the town stands on the issue. I would hope that Scarborough as a forward-looking community would embrace this trend. Our children and grandchildren will need to be more environmentally-responsible and self-reliant in terms of their food habits than we have been. 

 If the town feels it needs to have a formal “chicken policy” (many towns don’t and simply allow it), my proposal would be to keep it short and sweet: no roosters in residential areas, chickens should be kept securely in a fenced yard or pen and no closer than 20 feet to any neighboring dwelling, and no permits or fees are required.  The last point is an important one if we’re interested in encouraging healthy and environmentally-sustainable behaviors.  Backyard chickens are capable of recycling vegetable scraps, grass, and bugs into healthy, omega-3 rich eggs and nitrogen-rich fertilizer for compost piles.  Permits and fees make sense for owning a dog or digging clams or because the town has costs associated with canine control and keeping the clam flats managed and clean.   I have yet to read about a town that has felt it necessary to hire a chicken control officer. 

 If residents of large cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and New York can co-exist peacefully with their egg-laying feathered friends, surely so can we.   

Roger Doiron

Scarborough