Paul Jeffers Portes has 14 chickens, including Silkies, Wheaten Marans, Andalusians and Barnevelders, with whom she says her two children, eight-year-old Emilia and 12-year-old Sebastian, have bonded.

Hobart's code of ordinances currently mandates that chicken coops be placed at least 200 feet from a neighbor's home, effectively banning the animals from many of the city's smaller lots.