EASLEY, S.C. — Easley city staff presented the first reading of ordinance 2025-16, a narrowly drawn text amendment to allow limited educational and programmatic use of hens by qualifying nonprofit organizations.

Staff said the amendment requires organizations to be tax‑exempt under section 501(c)(3), to operate on a minimum contiguous acreage (staff referenced five acres), and to limit birds to female chickens, with a maximum of 12 hens and no roosters. The ordinance would require coops and runs to be confined and maintained in a ‘‘clean, sanitary, odor free, and well maintained condition,’’ and designates the Easley Police Department to enforce the rule. Written authorization would be issued on an annual basis and could be revoked if the operation becomes a nuisance.

Council members raised practical concerns: whether permitting one nonprofit would create precedent for others, how the city would enforce coop maintenance and odor complaints, the burden on police, and predator risks such as coyotes and bears in Pickens County. One councilor asked how sick or old birds would be handled; staff said the ordinance did not yet address euthanasia or removal and offered to add that language if council desired.

Supporters framed the amendment as a pilot program tied to educational and therapeutic goals. A staff member described benefits including hands-on lessons about animal care and responsibility: "...something to engage the children in, you know, raising life, teaching them responsibility and empathy," the staff member said. Opponents said livestock belongs in the county and warned the change could open a 'can of worms' if compliance is uneven.

The transcript records detailed discussion but no final vote on the ordinance in the provided excerpt.