Backyard Chickens?

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “I never ever, ever, ever, never thought I would be asked a question like this,” says Hardison ‘Hardey’ King, Irmo council member. After nearly six years on the Irmo town council, a chicken oridance has yet to cross Hardey King’s mind, until now. “Out of all the things I would think somebody would come to us as a town council and ask us to look at, this is not high on the list, or nowhere on it,” says King. And get this, King is the one who put it on the agenda. “I just felt like because they did come to us and ask us, if we are going to spend time doing stuff that no one ask us to do, then why don’t we do something someone asked us to do,” says King. Josh Smith is one of those asking. Smith along with other Irmo homeowners, want a town ordinance allowing them to have chickens in their backyards. “We do a lot of gardening, so we grow our own food and we kind of like knowing what goes in it,” says Smith. Josh and his wife Melissa, have grown foods like, cantaloupe, strawberries, and they even have their own catfish. So why not chickens? “Chickens are good for gardens,” says Smith. But will everyone else think so? “We’ve got a lot of people who want this, who are older, retired people. They’re almost going to see them as pets. Families with kids, they want to teach their kids where their food comes from,” says Smith. Irmo isn’t the only town who’s faced the chicken issue. The City of Columbia also has one, some of the restrictions include: No more than 4 chickens allowed. Hens must be kept separate and roosters are not allowed. Josh says if the chicken ordinance passes, there’s an important factor to remember. “We have to be responsible neighbors, just like my dogs, I don‘t let them stay out at night, and bark at everything under the sun. I have a responsibility to my neighbors and I‘m going to be the same way with my chickens,” says Smith. But the ordiance is still far from a reality. “I don‘t want to slam the door and say no, but I‘m still not 100% sure I would say yes, because I‘m still like huh, same thing, chickens? I don‘t know,” says King.