Chicken parade prompts changes to proposed restrictions in Iowa's capital city

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Iowa’s capital city is establishing a new pecking order for backyard chickens and roosters after some of their diehard fans paraded around City Hall with some of their flocks on Monday.

City Manager Scott Sanders said in a statement issued Friday evening that he thinks the city can find a way to amend the proposed restrictions so they will “better serve the whole community,” including chicken owners. The proposal that got preliminary approval from the city council would have cut the number of birds allowed from 30 to 12 and ban the roosters that are disturbing the peace in some neighborhoods.

Chicken parade organizer Ed Fallon said the city seemed to be overreacting to a total of three complaints about chickens that were registered between the start of 2020 and June 2024. A small group of people holding chickens came out Monday to march from the Statehouse to City Hall.

Sanders said he asked Assistant City Manager Malcolm Hankins to draft an amendment that will be broadly accepted.

“After listening to Council Member concerns at the July 22 Council meeting, we believe there is a better path forward for an amendment to this ordinance at a later date,” Hankins said in the release.

The new rules should allow roosters but require the licensing of chickens and set up a process for dealing with nuisance animals that can't contain their cock-a-doodle-dos.