FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The Fort Collins city council is considering changing the law to allow more people to keep chickens in their backyards.

Currently up to six chickens are allowed per household in three of the city's zoning districts. The proposal up for a vote Tuesday would allow them in all districts with some restrictions.

The chickens would have to be kept in a shelter safe from predators overnight. The chickens would have to be kept at least 15 feet from neighboring properties.

Only hens would be allowed. Roosters are banned in Fort Collins because they are noisy. That's the case in other cities along the Front Range that allow people to have chickens.

Dan Brown, a Fort Collins resident and chicken advocate, has been crowing for an ordinance that would allow backyard birds, arguing that the hens eat pests, weeds and scraps that can’t be composted.

"I also think it’s an important part of teaching your children that food doesn’t come from a box in the store," said Brown.

Not everyone wants Chicken Little next door, though.

"They are opposed to it primarily because they believe it’s incompatible," said Ted Shepard, Fort Collins’ chief planner. "A concern was raised by the Planning and Zoning Board. What’s next? Pygmy goats? Where do you draw the line?"