Livestock still have homes in Redmond

Published 9:30 am Tuesday, August 23, 2022

As Redmond has grown to more than 36,000 human residents, you might think that farming and ranching in city limits is done.

You’d be right when it comes to large scale, commercial ventures. But dotted around its borders, and in a few cases close to downtown, you can still find plenty of horses, cows, goats, a few sheep, lots of chickens, some alpacas and a fair number of rabbits, too.

Redmond’s deep farming and ranching heritage is alive and well despite urbanization. It’s deep in the veins of roughly 300 Redmond residents who still keep livestock on their property. That population estimate is provided by area veterinarians, some of whom still do on-site calls.

Is keeping livestock in the city legal? Absolutely.

Here are the rules if you are considering setting up a backyard barn, coop or hutch. Livestock, excluding horses, may not be kept on lots having an area of less than 20,000 square feet. The required area for horses is 10,000 square feet for one horse, 20,000 square feet for two horses, and 5,000 square feet for each additional horse.

• Cows, goats and sheep must have a fenced corral or pasture with a usable area of at least 10,000 square feet per animal.

• The number of chickens, fowl and rabbits shall not exceed one for each 500 square feet of property. Animal runs or barns, chicken, fowl pens and livestock enclosures must be located on the rear half of the property not closer than 50 feet from any off-property residence.

• Chickens and fowl are required to be properly caged or housed and proper sanitation must be maintained at all times. All animal or poultry food must be stored in metal or other rodent-proof containers.

• Fences used for enclosing livestock must be kept in good repair and be at least four feet tall.

How do the neighbors feel about it? It’s a mixed bag, city officials say. Mostly it’s a non-issue, but there are the occasional noisy rooster complaints, as well as some about flies and odors. City livestock generate a few calls each year to code enforcers.

Hold your horses

Can you ride your horse through Redmond? Technically, yes. There’s nothing in municipal code that says you can’t.

Is it a good idea? Depends on who you ask.

Many equestrians think mixing horses and cars is dangerous. Horses are not allowed on sidewalks, nor are they allowed in city parks. That means horse-and-rider must traverse in lanes of traffic down Redmond’s avenues and streets.

Raising stock

Rory Callahan has a herd of five miniature cattle within Redmond city limits. “Miniature” seems contradictory as they are still up to four-feet tall at the hip and weigh roughly 700 pounds. Two are milkers and three are for beef. Callahan is a retired aeronautical engineer with no history of farming. He was lured to raising cattle on his five acres after hearing from a friend in Idaho who did something similar and enjoyed the experience.

“It’s just not the practicality of food security,” said Callahan. “It’s the connection to the land and a life away from technology, being hooked on some digital screen all day.”

Callahan said that nature was calling him and his wife, Faye, to show their grandchildren that life is more than video games. When the grandchildren — who are 11, 7 and 4 — visit from San Francisco they are instantly transported into the Callahan’s world.

“They’ve all taken a huge interest and two now say they want to be (veterinarians),” Faye beamed.

Les and Vicki Nolan raise chickens within blocks of Dry Canyon. They have six hens, three Golden Comets and three Rhode Island Reds. Their annual production is about 250 eggs per hen each year.

“With eggs at the store up almost 40% in price in less than a year, neighbors and passersby knock at our door asking to be put on the waiting list,” said Vicki.

The Nolans and their extended family use about half the eggs themselves. They sell the remainder for $4.50 a dozen, more than what grocers charge. Vicki said buyers will pay more for their fresh eggs and prefer the yoke color and taste.

Some Redmond livestock are more pets than producers however.

Melody Warden, 9, and her sister, Karlie, 7, have four dwarf goats in their backyard that’s less than a mile from downtown. The animals are treated like part of the family and their parents admit to it being somewhat of a fad, recalling their days when friends or neighbors had Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs.