WATERVILLE — Leo St. Peter says he thinks the city’s rules about keeping chickens are too restrictive, and he wants to see them loosened.

St. Peter said with food prices high and people wanting to raise their own food to cut costs and eat more healthfully, making it easier to raise chickens is important. The requirement that people raising chickens have at least 8,000 square feet of property is too stringent, as is the limit of six chickens per lot, according to St. Peter.

While he has chickens on his large rural property and isn’t concerned for himself, he thinks the space required is too large for many who might want to raise chickens. He cited a case in the city of Calais where a couple is suing the city over such restrictions.

“It should not be based on lot size,” St. Peter said. “Chickens require the least amount of space. Nothing takes up less space than a chicken.”

St. Peter said he and his family think eating healthful food is important, and they also raise vegetables and preserve them. It is a good learning experience for his kids, he said.

The number of people raising chickens as pets and to produce eggs has grown substantially due to several factors, including the cost of eggs.

According to the American Pet Products Association, 11 million U.S. households have their own backyard chickens, reflecting a 28% increase from 2023. The association, formed in 1958, is considered the leading trade association for the pet industry.

The Waterville council in December 2020 voted to decrease the required minimum lot size for keeping chickens from 10,000 to 8,000 square feet.

Mayor Mike Morris said Monday that St. Peter discussed the issue with him over the weekend. Morris said he thinks it merits review.

“I think that I am going to have it on the agenda for Jan. 20 as a discussion item,” Morris said. “The council can review the current ordinance, look and see if it’s worthy of updating and go from there.”

Morris was a city councilor in 2020 when the city updated its rules regarding chickens. Now, he said, councilors can take a look at it and decide what’s working and what’s not and see if it may be open to changes.

“I think when we put this together five years or so ago we did it with not a lot of data,” he said.

St. Peter says the city should consider the rules soon because typically by the first week in April, chicks are unavailable as people purchasing them have put in their orders.

The city charter limits hens to no more than six per lot, and roosters are prohibited. Chickens are to be kept as pets for personal use only — not commercial use. The sale of eggs or fertilizer and the breeding of chickens is not allowed.

Chickens are limited to laying hens; the birds may not be bred for meat, and slaughtering chickens is prohibited. They must be kept in enclosed areas, and while in daylight they may be in outdoor wire pens, at night they must be secured in henhouses.

Henhouses and pens must be located at least 15 feet from side and rear property lines and at least 20 feet from the nearest residence existing when a permit is issued, other than the dwelling on the same lot. Henhouses and pens are not allowed in front yards, and henhouses must provide a minimum of four square feet of floor area per bird. Pens must have a minimum of 60 square feet of ground space.

To discourage predators and rodents, henhouses must be raised off the ground, enclosed on all sides, and have a floor, roof and tight-fitting doors that can be latched securely at night. Pens must be constructed with heavy wire fencing, and covered. Adequate sun, shade and ventilation must be provided.

St. Peter plans to address city councilors Tuesday when they meet at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Annex at 46 Front St. New City Administrator Nicholas Cloutier, who started his job Monday, will attend as will new City Councilor Samantha Burdick, D-Ward 3, who succeeds Thomas Klepach.