OTTAWA — Members of the Ottawa Planning Commission cried foul Wednesday about allowing chickens inside most parts of Ottawa. Presently, chickens are considered farm livestock and are only allowed in a few places in the city with large agreages. A request to allow chickens in some residential areas of the city raised a squawk among the planners. They said that chickens posed noise and smell problems if they were allowed in backyards. City planning and codes director Wynndee Lee said the request flies in the face of the city’s present development patterns of more intensive development and smaller lot – chickens require more space. The planners decided to continue the discussion to later as Lee’s staff researches other cities’ rules on chickens.
