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Urban Micro -Livestock ordinances: <br />Regulating Backyard Animal Husbandry <br />By Jaime Bouvier <br />While small farm animals never completely disappeared from most cities, a growing <br />number of communities are revisiting their animal control and zoning regulations in <br />response to a renewed interest in chickens, bees, and goats among urban agriculture <br />practitioners and backyard hobbyists. <br />This article explores how small farm ani- <br />mals (i.e., micro -livestock) can and already <br />do coexist in urban environments, and it <br />examines the regulatory tools cities use to <br />sanction and control backyard animal hus- <br />bandry. The following sections are intended <br />to serve as a guide for local governments <br />considering legalizing and regulating. this <br />budding hobby. <br />WHAT IS MICRO -LIVESTOCK? <br />There is no universal definition of micro - <br />livestock. It often just means small <br />animals —like chickens, ducks, quail, and <br />rabbits. It can also mean breeds that are <br />smaller than average —such as bantam <br />chickens, Nigerian Dwarf goats, or Red <br />Panda cows. Finally, it can mean an animal <br />of what is normally a large breed that just <br />happens to be small. Many international <br />organizations have long championed rais- <br />ing micro -livestock in cities to provide a <br />secure and safe local food source. Because <br />they require less food and water, are often <br />especially hardy breeds, and their small <br />size makes them ideal for small lots, micro - <br />livestock are especially well suited to urban <br />living. <br />Right now, most attempts to legalize <br />micro -livestock focus on chickens, goats, <br />and bees. Although rabbits are micro -live- <br />stock, they have caused less controversy. <br />Perhaps because they are more accepted as <br />pets, they were never made illegal in many <br />cities. Very small pigs, like the pot-bellied <br />pig, have also been accepted in many cities <br />0 During World War II, the U.S. government framed backyard chicken <br />keeping as a patriotic duty. <br />as a pet; because they are not being raised , <br />for bacon, people don't think of them as <br />livestock. There has been some move to le- <br />galize miniature horses as guide animals for <br />the blind and disabled. Other animals, like <br />miniature hogs, cows, or sheep, may also be <br />suitable for city life under the right circum- <br />stances, but fewer people are advocating for <br />them. <br />A SHORT HISTORY OF URBAN HENS AND <br />OTHER MICRO -LIVESTOCK. <br />Although micro -livestock never disap- <br />peared from cities altogether, they used <br />to be an accepted and even encouraged <br />part of urban life. For example, during the <br />Victory Garden campaign, when the U.S. <br />government urged American citizens to <br />grow more of their own food to support the <br />war, the government encouraged people to <br />keep and raise chickens. <br />As it became cheaper and more con- <br />venient to buy food from a grocery store, <br />it became less common to see livestock in <br />the city. While many people believe that <br />livestock became illegal because they were <br />a nuisance, there is little evidence that <br />this was the case —especially when just <br />ZONING PRACTICE 4.13 <br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION [page 2 <br />