This week, the city council in Kenosha, Wisconsin, voted to allow residents to raise backyard chickens. The vote was popular with people who like a side of freedom with their fresh eggs.

“Give people the right, give them the freedom to choose to have chickens,” council member Kellie MacKay said in remarks reported by the Kenosha News. “Let them have the freedom to do what their passions are.”

Backyard chicken farmers are passionate about many aspects of their lifestyle. “Supporters of keeping backyard chickens note the birds are a prized addition to any yard, providing a regular source for fresh eggs and fertilizer and a natural means of controlling pests such as grubs,” I explain in my 2016 book Biting the Hands that Feed Us: How Fewer, Smarter Laws Would Make Our Food System More Sustainable.