MILTON, Del. - After being tasked in February with considering if the Town of Milton should allow poultry and fowl to be kept within its limits, the Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended that the domestic birds continue to be barred.
In their advisory report submitted to the Mayor and Town Council of Milton, the Commission says it reviewed numerous regulations, research literature, and other municipalities’ codes and ordinances in their decision.
The Commission ultimately concluded that the negative aspects of keeping poultry and fowl within town limits outweighed the positive.
Examples of those negative aspects included odors, noise, and more pests such as flies that could affect Milton residents if poultry were permitted. Predators such as rats, raccoons, fox, mice, and snakes could also be attracted, possibly increasing the chance of diseases spreading to other animals and humans.
The Commission also said that the placement requirements for chicken coops would be unobtainable for many parcels within the town, as most municipalities require 20 to 100 feet distance from a coop to the closest property line.
“For these reasons,” the Advisory Report concludes, “the Commission recommend to continue to prohibit the keeping of poultry and fowl within the Town of Milton.”
Whether the Mayor and Town Council of Milton decide to embrace this guidance remains to be seen. The next Town Council meeting is slated for June 5th, with the Commission’s Advisory Report listed as old business on the agenda.
Other nearby towns also have restrictions on poultry and fowl. Ellendale, for instance, prohibits chickens on any property within the Town of Ellendale, as do Georgetown and Lewes. Seaford’s code allows for them only with a license and the express permission of the city manager.
For now in Milton though, the Commission has made it clear they do not advise the chickens coming home to roost at all.