The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0286.046 2024-2026Hawaii County Council c/o: Office of the County Clerk 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, HI 96720 November 17, 2025 o n o C-) Testimonyfor Bill 52, Draft 3, relating to Household henneries o CD County Council Meeting November 19, 2025 at 11:00am co o� Submitted via emailto: counciltestimonyPhawaiicounty. ov {' ..: w Dear Chair Dr. Holeka Goro Inaba and Honorable members of the Council, I oppose Bill52 as currently proposed in Draft 3. 1 commend the intent to allow poultry in residential districts and respect the challenge of creating bill that will satisfy the wide diversity of constituents across Hawai'i County. However, the bill should be revised to allow hens to free range while contained within a fenced area. Backyard chicken keeping increased in popularity nationwide during the pandemic and recent egg shortages. It has long been a part of local culture in our rural island communities and provides food security to households. These are not large-scale Industrial operations but rather family -owned backyard pets that are on average 3 to 5 pounds and have names like Mochi and Lilikoi. While some may view poultry as unconventional pets, they are no more of a menace to society than other more traditional pets when properly managed. Chickens are generally easy to care for and may be a preferred option to dogs and cats because of their small size, the companionship they provide, alongwith the added benefit of food security from the eggs they lay. Pet poultry should not be restricted simply because they are birds but rather should be able to follow the same ordinances related to noise, odor, and waste as those that already apply in residential zones for all uses, including pet dogs and cats. In Section 25-4-17, Item (1) of Bill 52,1 propose to reinstate "fenced area" as an allowable means of containment from Draft 1. • "Fenced area" means animals must be confined within the property boundaries but may befree to roam within the owner's yard to eat grass or lay in the sun • Animals would be confined to an owner's yard and would not befree to roam throughout the neighborhood • ! I[�1111� • A coop maybe the best option for some but should not be the requirement for all chicken owners. • Most residential lots in Hawai'i County provide ample yard space to supporta small backyard flock at the stocking rates proposed in the draft bill. Benefits of a "fenced area": • Hens experience optimized health from a more diversified diet, increased exercise, and access to fresh air and sunshine. • Hens eat pests such as coqui frogs and centipedes. • Access to sunshine improves absorption of vitamin D, critical for calcium release required for producing eggs. • Grass provides key nutrients that enhance egg quality. • Hens require smaller coops because they are outside most of the day, utilizing the coop only for laying eggs and roosting at night. Addressing concerns of allowing "fenced area" as allowable means of containment: • Escape: Wings can be clipped to ensure hens are not a flight risk outside the fenced area. Pet dogs have the potential to escape from a fenced area (and possibly bite someone) yet they are not required to be locked in kennels at all times. • Odor: Chickens roaming in a yard do not smell or pose a sanitation issue. In fact, waste is evenly distributed as fertilizer rather than accumulating in concentrated areas as would be the case with a coop which could result in more odors. • Biosecurity: Simple sanitation practices such as cleaning the coop regularly and washing hands after handling keep poultry and humans safe and healthy. • Noise: Chickens are no different than any other noises in residential and urban areas (e.g., traffic, lawn maintenance, music, family gatherings, or barking dogs). We all must abide by existing noise ordinances and tolerate our neighborhood noises. • Predators: Poultry owners should be able to make their own decisions about how to best protect their flock from predators, weighing the pros and cons of free range versus confined coops. Attacks by birds of prey such as the endangered `io are possible, but rare, when free ranging. Birds are much more susceptibleto mongoose attacks in a confined coop that is not properly secured. • Avian diseases: Generally-residentialzones do not overlap with the habitat of native songbirds so disease transmission is unlikely between these populations. Implementation Inconsistencies Our rural island has.a strong history of backyard chickens and agricultural production, especially in plantation villages. However, boundaries between residential and agricultural zones are intermixed. Lots zoned for agriculture use exist within urban areas and residential lots exist in rural areas. Lot sizes for both residential and agriculture districts vary from smallto large. These discrepancies would lead to implementation inconsistencies of Bill 52. A residential lot required to abide by all requirements of this bill could be adjacentto an agriculture lot that is not subject to the same restrictions. In other words, a residential ownerofa one -acre parcel could be required to confine theiranimals forsupposed disease threats, noise, and odorwhile across the fence an agricultural lotof the same oreven smallersize could sustain free range birds. In closing, 1 encourage the councilto continue amending Bill52 bill to allow residential poultry keeping by including "fenced area" as an acceptable means of containment. I urge you to consult stakeholders such as local poultry experts and representatives from the agencies thatwould be tasked with enforcing the requirements of the bill (e.g., Planning Department, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, and Animat Control) before passing this bill without proper vetting. Please do not punish responsible animal owners with restrictive regulations. Decisions should be based on existing ordinances and realistic conditions; not focused on hypothetical problems, perceived issues, or arbitrary objections that might arise. Ultimately, I am hopeful that a final bill will allow household henneries while ensuring requirements are reasonable, enforceable, maximize food security, and most importantly, respect our rural island culture and lifestyle. Thankyou foryour consideration, Amy Koch Papa'aloa, HI (District 1)