The Bangor, Maine, board of appeals on Thursday unanimously approved Amy Martin and her son, C-Jay, to continue keeping their six emotional support chickens in their backyard, according to a local report.
C-Jay Martin, 25, was born blind with his heart located on the right side of his chest, a cleft pallet and lip, and missing a third of his brain and half of his right lung, according to WGME. In addition, C-Jay has autism, epilepsy and ADHD. His mother, Amy, purchased the chickens in early 2023 to help her son overcome his struggles due to isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During COVID, C-Jay started struggling because he’s very social and we lost all our activities and no one came over,” Amy said. “For the past two years, he wasn’t talking to anyone and was very withdrawn.” C-Jay also suffered from depression and anxiety during the pandemic, according to the outlet.
On Thursday, five people spoke in favor of the Martin family, while two spoke against their cause. Some worried granting them permission to keep the chickens would start a precedent for other people to begin keeping chickens at their own homes and cause rat problems in the city, according to a news clip from WGME. (RELATED: Florida Suburb Residents Fundraise To Ward Off Bunny Invasion)
The city of Bangor in February directed Amy to submit an application to the Board of Appeals seeking a variance under the federal Fair Housing Act that would allow her to keep the chickens. She said the chickens were assistance animals because they had been recommended by a health care professional. The city did not grant Amy’s request, leading her to file a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission, alleging discrimination. The complaint was dismissed in September, with an investigative report stating “a governmental agency is unable to grant informal reasonable accommodations to city ordinances,” according to WGME.
The Martin family expressed relief they will be allowed to keep their chickens per the Bangor Board of Appeals’ unanimous approval. The exception to the city law will only apply to them, as the city does not allow anyone to have chickens within the city, according to WGME.