When is a fowl not a fowl?
According to the Highland City Council, a fowl is not a fowl when it's an ostrich. Then it's a large animal.Brent McCandless approached the council Wednesday about raising five pairs of ostrich chicks on his half-acre lot. If an ostrich is a fowl - which is how McCandless said the state of Utah classifies it - there would be no problem with raising the birds on his lot.
But if the large, feathered fowl (or animal) is classified as a large animal, zoning ordinances would restrict McCandless from having more than two per half acre.
Highland's zoning code classifies fowl as chickens, ducks, turkeys or other birds of similar size. Because of that, council members decided ostriches, which grow 6 to 8 feet tall, should be considered large animals.
Because McCandless' neighbor, Maude Zundell, is willing to lease him three acres of her land, the council permitted McCandless to raise ostriches on a one-year trial basis. The city will evaluate the situation after a year and take further action at that point.
Council members questioned whether the birds are a public nuisance, making obnoxious sounds or emitting odors.
"I've seen literally hundreds of birds in the last three months and I have yet to hear one of them make a sound besides flapping their wings," McCandless said. He also said ostrich waste does not smell, as does a chicken's.
"Are they mean critters?" asked Councilman Steven Draper.
McCandless said he had been in the midst of several birds the day after Thanksgiving and none of them seemed ill-tempered or aggressive.
"They're pretty humble the day after Thanksgiving," Draper countered.
McCandless plans to raise the chicks from 3 months old until they are between 9 and 12 months old, at which time he will sell them. Eventually he wants to have an ostrich ranch.