LAKEWOOD, Ohio — Ten years after Lakewood began allowing backyard hens, the city’s experiment with suburban chicken keeping appears to have produced far more permits than problems.
Lakewood now has 44 active hen keeping permits, approaching the 50 allowed under the ordinance city council adopted in 2016.
Yet Animal Control Officer Gary Crumley said complaints remain uncommon. No written warnings or citations involving hens or coops have been issued during his tenure, and most problems are resolved with a conversation…