CALAIS — A family in Calais is suing the city over their right to raise chickens.

The Oliver family has raised about 19 chickens for years, primarily to help feed their family of five. But in spring 2024, Calais updated its domesticated livestock ordinance, and the family says the changes made it illegal for them to keep their chickens.

Nick DeBenedetto, the Oliver family’s lawyer, said, “The city council has passed an ordinance with which the Olivers cannot comply. The council determined that in order to keep a maximum of just six chickens, residents must live on a half-acre parcel and construct their chicken coops in a manner dictated by the council.”

City Manager Mike Ellis told ABC 7 / FOX 22 that the changes were not aimed at the Oliver family, but came after complaints about ot

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