The price of eggs is soaring! According to the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics grocery inflation rates are the highest they’ve been since 1979 with prices seeing a whopping 13.5% increase from last year alone. According to a government study published in 2022, one in 10 Americans struggled to feed their families last year. Moreover, nutritious foods are more expensive than a calorie sufficient one—making healthy options increasingly unaffordable to the average American family. And Pella’s bakeries and growing restaurant industry are struggling to keep their products affordable with the soaring cost of ingredients and supply chain issues. 

The City of Pella’s Code of Ordinances currently does not allow citizens to keep chickens on properties zoned residential. This is an opportune time to not only make our town more progressive by changing this restriction but to support the local food movement and give our citizens easy access to a staple in nutritious food. Compared to store-bought eggs (even organic and free-range store bought eggs), studies have found that eggs from backyard flocks contain more nutrients, are lower in cholesterol, and have a healthier ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. What could be healthier? Chickens also consume table waste that would otherwise go into our landfills, provide nitrogen-rich compost, eat bugs, and provide an educational opportunity for children. 

So why do so many towns today ban chickens? It once was commonplace to see chickens plucking around in every yard in America. So where have they gone, and why? The short answer is that they went the way of the victory gardens. After WWII supermarkets, abundance, and convenience were the song of the day. The 1950s was the dawn of suburbia and there was a notable shift away from self-sufficiency. Farming communities no longer wished to be seen as rural and chickens became the symbol of datedness. 

Nowadays, however, there has been a resurgence in self-sufficiency. We’ve become too global and want to get back to our roots. Big cities are reversing community restrictions on chickens to allow for urban flocks as people realize the benefits outweigh the possible concerns. Most concerns are actually myths anyway (e.g. hens do not need a rooster to lay eggs. Contrary to popular belief they are not noisy. And if well managed they will not attract pests). Cities in Iowa that have joined the sustainable chicken movement are: Cedar Rapids, Centerville, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Johnson County, Keokuk, Mount Pleasant, Oakdale, Ottumwa, to name a few. Will Pella be next? It’s worth noting that eggs are a staple in Dutch cuisine. Chickens are in our town’s cultural heritage! Moreover, during the Dutch famine of WWI, chickens came to the rescue. The American Daughters of the Revolution launched a fundraising effort to “rechickenize” the war-torn countries of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Americans who donated a dime received a pin like the one shown here. 

One final thought. In these hard times it’s worth remembering that America has survived pandemics and their economic repercussions before. Most recently the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. And the Government’s strategy then might very well benefit us now. Their strategy was to call upon American families to keep chickens. As the advertisement states: Just two hens for each person in the house can keep a family in fresh eggs. 

Please join me in signing this petition and talking with our city council members and mayor to reverse the restriction on chickens.

Follow “I Want A Chicken in Pella” on Facebook and @Pella4Chickens on Instagram for more resources & news. 

Thank you! 
Anna Ruppert
Pella Resident & Cottage Kitchen Owner MaidenHollandKitchen@gmail.com