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

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa’s capital city is creating a new pecking order for backyard chickens and roosters after some of their loyal fans paraded around the town hall with part of their herds on Monday.

City Manager Scott Sanders said in a rack Friday night that he believes the city can find a way to modify the proposed restrictions to “better serve the entire community,” including chicken owners. The proposal that received preliminary approval from the City Council would have reduced the number of birds allowed from 30 to 12 and banned roosters that have been a source of disruption in some neighborhoods.

According to Ed Fallon, organizer of the chicken parade, the city appears to be overreacting to a total of three complaints about chickens that were filed between early 2020 and June 2024. A small group of people with chickens gathered Monday to march from the Statehouse to City Hall.

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

“After listening to council members’ concerns at the July 22 council meeting, we believe there is a better path forward for a change to this ordinance at a later date,” Hankins said in the release.

The new rules should allow roosters, but chickens should require a permit, and a procedure should be established to deal with nuisance animals that cannot control their cockatoos.