By Annie Piekarczyk / STAFF

Thursday, May 28th was anything but anticlimactic for Roswell’s “Chicken Man” Andrew Wordes and his fourteen pet chickens. The emotional rollercoaster Wordes had been riding out on the legality of his little friends finally came to an end when Wordes received word from his lawyer, former Governor Roy Barnes, that the trial had been cancelled and that, more importantly, Roswell Municipal Court Judge Maurice Hilliard Jr. would issue a ruling in Wordes’ favor.

The resolution of the chicken case between Roswell’s City Attorney David Davidson and Wordes had been postponed for nearly two months until Hilliard gave the final verdict on the matter on Thursday.

Although the wait had been long, Wordes was not at all disappointed in the trial cancellation. He said he was just glad to hear Judge Hilliard Jr. agreed with him and his group of chicken supporters; that chickens are allowed in Roswell.

A Chicken and Egg Story

Wordes, a long-time resident of Roswell, had been raising chickens in his backyard for four years when in January, a former employee of his made an anonymous complaint about the then-twelve chickens housed in Wordes’ fenced-in backyard. The complaint went through Animal Services Center and eventually found its way to a Roswell Code Enforcement Officer who issued a citation to Wordes for not complying with city law. 

Animal Services Center did an inspection to see how safely and properly the chickens were being cared for, and according to Wordes, had no problem with his pet chickens residing in his backyard.

“As far as the city was concerned, they [my chickens] were illegal. So I started talking with the Mayor,” said Wordes. 

Roswell Mayor Jere Wood turned out to be a supporter of Wordes and his chickens and, as it happens, so did Judge Hilliard.

When Wordes initially received the citation, he thought he might have been wrong and had broken the law – one he had never heard of before. However, after reading the citation and showing it to Wood along with other lawyers, Wordes concluded that he was in the right and that his chickens should not be evicted from his backyard.

 
City Council thought otherwise.

“They’re allowed in Milton, Johns Creek, Atlanta, the city of New York, Miami, Chicago, every city in the world allows chickens… except Roswell?” asked an incredulous Wordes. “I was shocked. It was just a couple of chickens. It’s not like I was raising a hound of pit bulls that I was training to fight.”

Roswell law says that livestock, excluding poultry and swine, are not permitted to live on residential property. City Council interpreted that law as if it were stating that poultry could not live on residential property. They said livestock were not pets and they belonged on a farm.

Wordes, on the other hand, resides on a one acre lot and does not believe his fourteen chickens should be categorized as livestock, but rather as pets – something he goes home to at the end of the workday. 

“When I come home from work, I feed them, I play with them,” said Wordes. “They sit on my lap while I have a drink and relax in the backyard. They’re not just wild chickens on some farm, they’re regular family pets.” And as such, each one has its own name; just a few include Red Man, Yankee, Diamond, Pearl, Ruby, Billy Joel, Barney and Junior.

According to Wordes, the complaint that started the whole mess was the first complaint he had ever received regarding his pet chickens.

He had been issued a warning from the city a year ago, he said, but nothing ever came out of that. He said his neighbors seemed to enjoy his friendly chickens and even sometimes left egg cartons on his doorstep for when he had extra eggs. 

Furthermore, Wordes also said he knew of at least ten other chicken-owners in Roswell who were afraid to come out of the chicken closet since he received his citation.

Poultry Party

But on May 29th, while celebrating Wordes’ victory with many other chicken supporters at Greenwood’s on Green Street, one particular Roswell resident, Carmen Ford, was anything but reluctant to proclaim that she also owns 10 chickens.  

Along with many other chicken supporters who sported “I love Chicken” buttons at the victory party, and one who even held a chicken handbag, Wordes was just relieved and elated in the outcome of the ongoing chicken case.

Chicken supporter Clint Crowe said the final verdict was validation for what Wordes had gone through. “We’re ecstatic,” said Crowe.

Mayor Wood was always on Wordes’ side on this issue, and explained that he didn’t believe the statute Wordes was cited for breaking was drafted to make chickens illegal. 

“I think the ordinance was unclear,” said Wood. “It was not tightly drafted and I hope now it will be coming back to Council and that Council will continue to allow chickens in Roswell.”

Wood explained that since it was a zoning ordinance, it would take several months for City Council to change the law if that’s what they end up doing. He also said he expects chickens to continue being legal, but for there to be controls on them for them to be responsibly kept. 

Wordes said he would be more than happy to sit down with City Council to come up with a better ordinance.