River Forest Plucks Chickens From Family

When Carolyn James' children kept begging for a pet, she had to get creative.

Allergic to cats and dogs, James decided to get two Araucuna chickens — Beyonce and J. Low — to serve as both pets and low cholesterol egg-producers.

But before the chickens were even old enough to begin laying eggs, the James family had to find a new home for them. A neighbor had complained to village officials that the birds were attracting rats to a nearby Dumpster, which prompted a warning letter from the village: the chickens have to go.

So, Beyonce and J. Low were shipped off to Downers Grove.

And James is left stewing over her neighbor's complaint.

“Rats are chicken predators,” she said. “Had they attracted rats, the chickens would have been killed."

Ownership of backyard chickens is allowed throughout Chicagoland, including in the city, Evanston, Oak Park and Downers Grove.

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In River Forest, a 1981 ordinance prohibits residents from keeping "cattle, horses, swine, sheep, goats, ducks, geese, chickens or other poultry."

Deputy chief Craig Rutz said police haven’t dealt much with chicken problems, but said the department would enforce existing laws that forbid wild animals as well as noise disturbances, "because chickens do tend to do that."

James takes issue with what she perceives as selective enforcement of ordinances — think dogs and leash laws in public parks — and a bias against chickens.

"I feel like we have been singled out because our pets of choice are nontraditional," she said. "Our chickens were kept caged in their run and made very little noise, if any. They were less obtrusive than neighborhood dogs."

James now hopes to overturn the 30-year-old chicken laws. She’s working on a petition with Green for Good, an agency that works to help people find organic and eco-friendly companies or products.

And James said it’s not only about Beyoncé and J.Low. She sees a greater purpose in the fight for allowing chickens as pets.

"I think that as fuel prices drive up food prices, more and more people are going to take the production of food into their own hands," she said. "With recent salmonella scares and reports of the horrible conditions in which animals are raised, I also think more people want to know how their food is grown and raised."