LYNDONVILLE, N.Y. — After being asked to remove her backyard chickens of seven years, a village of Lyndonville resident is advocating to end the village's backyard chicken ban.

“Once you've been eating fresh eggs from the backyard, there's no going back to store-bought eggs,” Kate Hardner said.

What You Need To Know

  • Kate Hardner has raised backyard chickens on her Village of Lyndonville property for seven years, first as a part of her daughter's 4-H project, then as a passion

  • In April, new village code enforcement asked her to remove her feathered friends because it's never been legal to have chickens in the village

  • She's advocating against the backyard chicken ban in county fairs, parades, and in a petition, called "For Cluck's Sake! End the Backyard Chicken Ban," which has received more than 650 signatures

It all started for her daughter's 4-H project, and it grew into a passion.

“I have been called 'The chicken lady,' yes,” she laughed.

Not all of her feathered friends had names, like Captain and Jenny Cash, but all were raised with love on her property in the village of Lyndonville.

“I felt like I had them for such a long time that nobody even cared anymore,” Hardner admitted. “I do miss having them here at the house. Yeah, the backyard seems a little empty.”

In April, Hardner was asked to remove her clucking company by new village code enforcement. Backyard chickens have never been legal in the village of Lyndonville, where the population is only about 800 people.

“This is rural America," she said. "It should not be easier to own a chicken in the city, in the suburbs than it is here. I really feel strongly that everybody should be able to have backyard chickens. I can grow marijuana in my backyard for personal use, but I can't grow my own eggs. That's ridiculous.”

Hardner recalls that her first time hatching chickens was at the same elementary school she can see from her backyard, but 45 years before. She says raising chickens has many benefits to her lifestyle, as well as raising her children.

“It's a great experience for kids," Hardner said. "They can learn so much about the life cycle where food comes from. Just the benefits far outweigh the negatives in my opinion. Nothing here that we were doing should be illegal. [We are] raising a few chickens in your backyard, teaching kids responsibility after school chores [and] participating in a forage program. I would think that those are all things society would want families to do together.”

She also says raising your own chickens and eggs can have major health benefits.

“There's more nutrition in backyard-laid chicken eggs," Hardner said. "And just the mental health benefits too is just so fun to watch. And it’s a great science experiment for kids. The best way to combat that is by having your own flock of check backyard chickens, because then you don't have to worry about the commercial egg supply. And the risk of the risk of your own chickens contracting it is extremely slim.”

These are some of the reasons that Hardner has been advocating for change in her little village, as well as other rural villages across the state. She started a petition, "For Cluck’s Sake! Stop the Backyard Chicken Ban," which has received more than 650 signatures. She’s also attended multiple public board meetings, marched in parades and set up stands at local fairs throughout her advocacy journey.

“I would think the government would want to really encourage people to be more sustainable and practice some of these skills right in their own backyard,” Hardner said.

The village of Lyndonville has not responded to Spectrum News 1's requests for comment, but planning board minutes show the law is in the process of being rewritten. Harder has also been assisting a fellow advocate, in similar shoes as her own, from the village of Medina.

In a statement, a village spokesperson says, “Some of the concerns the board and various residents had centered around the potential added cost of enforcement, additional rodents and wild animals being attracted to the feed/chickens/eggs, risk for disease, smell and noise and neighbor complaints.”

The board also says that some residents have also shared concerns about their ability to sell their homes if the neighbors have chickens.

Hardner says there have been other concerns from her hometown that chickens would attract other predators to the area, as well. However, prior to her chicken's departure, she had a large enclosed area for her feathered friends. When she was asked to move her chickens, she brought them to a friend's house outside of the village, where it’s legal and where they currently reside.

“My goal would be to have this resolved by wintertime, so I could have the six oldest chickens home here for the winter," Hardner said. "Because they're senior girls now and they really need closer monitoring in the winter."