Time is getting short to Jacksonville residents to apply for a permit to raise hens in their backyards. To get one of the 300 special urban chicken permits, you have to take a backyard poultry class offered monthly by the Duval County Extension office. Lauren Trad, who helped lead the Hens in Jax movement, says the process seems to be working.
“More than 300 people have taken the class," she said.
"Some people have probably either elected not to get hens yet, or not at all. Which the class was designed to help them gain that information before they jumped in so that seems like a success right there.”
Trad’s backyard is currently home to four hens: Chili, Paprika, Poppy Seed and Peppercorn. She says she hasn’t had any complaints from her neighbors. In fact, she says, they come to her when they need an egg.
The next urban chicken class is Thursday, April 17. The Jacksonville City Council will decide at the end of two years whether or not to continue letting people raise hens in their backyards.
You can follow Cyd Hoskinson on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
