To Randy Zeilinger, the 11 chickens that roamed in a fenced-off section of his backyard in Garden City were a source of nutrition and income. But city officials and some of his neighbors saw them as an unsightly and smelly nuisance. Zeilinger, 53, is on probation after a jury decided in April that he violated a city ordinance against keeping chickens. His punishment also included a suspended jail sentence. As Zeilinger fights to keep his fowl, the case illustrates an increasingly common debate over some types of farming in urban areas. With rising food prices and an increased interest in organic food sources, more people are wanting to raise chickens and sometimes facing pushback from...
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