She'd prefer poultry as pets

Carisa, though, isn't counting her chickens quite yet. And her grandfather, Stephen Fogt, who offered to build her a coop, isn't zipping over to the lumber yard any time soon.

The new zoning law must be drafted, reviewed by the Planning Commission and sent back to the board for final approval, said Fogt, who twice has addressed the township on behalf of his granddaughter.

"We want to do it the right way," said Fogt, of Bethlehem, who knows it could take months before they get the official green light. "Carisa has wanted chickens for a long time, and there weren't provisions to deal with a couple of hens."

Carisa's wish to house two small hens clashes with a decades-old ordinance aimed at preventing commercial chicken farms from sprouting up in residential neighborhoods. The Fogts live on half an acre in Orefield, and under the current zoning law, she would need at least 5 acres to meet the zoning requirements to have even one chicken.

"You could see this is not Winchester Heights," said Fogt, referring to a local upscale development, then motioning to the garages and sheds that surround his daughter Julie's rural lot.

After their initial request was denied by the zoning board, the Fogts returned to the township, asking commissioners to rewrite the ordinance, keeping residents like Carisa in mind.

"We listened to her story and thought it might be possible to change our ordinance to include hens as pets," Ellesworth said. "Everyone seems to want to find a way to accommodate them."

Townships and cities across the state are finding ways to make room for backyard poultry.

Philip Clauer, instructor for Penn State's 4-H Youth and Specialty Poultry program, said the trend of changing ordinances to allow raising of poultry in urban areas has been popular since 2007.

"Some people feel better producing their own food, and chickens are small, inexpensive and easy to raise," Clauer said. "I also see more people getting back to doing family projects with their extra time instead of traveling or more expensive activities with the family."

The issue was explored in a recent online forum, hosted by the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors. Some townships adjusted ordinances to allow for chickens, with laws varying to consider lot sizes and the nature of the community.

Brian Moyer, program assistant with Lehigh County's Penn State Cooperative Extension office, said the struggle is familiar and a growing number of residents are "adamant about having these ordinances changed."

Not all townships bend their rules, though.

Clauer, based in State College, Centre County, said about half of the townships in his area accepted proposed changes and the other half refused revisions.

And in recent years, he said, some chicken owners who helped spark the poultry trend have backed out.

"Interesting thing is many people that started raising urban chickens three to five years ago no longer have their chickens," he said. "It is a neat idea until people realize they need daily care and are different than pets."

Carisa has been fascinated with chickens since she was a toddler, and can rattle off the names of more than a dozen chickens at her grandmother's Bucks County house, including Cookie, Sparkle and Thelma, the boss of the bunch.

"I want to collect my own eggs and have my own chickens — just two little hens," Carisa said.

Carisa plans to keep them in a coop, which would be at least 100 feet from the nearest neighbor — a plan that got the preliminary nod of the township earlier this month.