Some Mankato residents want to raise chickens in their backyards, inside the city limits, but the City Council says no. They wouldn’t even hold a special hearing on the subject, said the Mankato Free Press.

One council member said he didn’t want the city to turn into a barnyard; another worried that, with budget cuts, there wouldn’t be enough city staffers to handle complaints.

But another council member thought it a good idea: Charlie Hurd said it was a question of property rights and argued that homeowners should be able to use their property for their own enjoyment so long as it doesn’t bother other people.

But I have it on good word, from someone who grew up on a farm — with chickens — that they do sometimes bother people.