Newport Beach squawks about man’s chicken flock

As Michael Resk moves around his Spanish-style home in Corona del Mar, small bobbing heads mirror his actions, following him to the front gate, backyard and alley.

And in his Goldenrod Avenue yard, the six members of his feathered flock — nicknamed the Goldenrod 6 — cluck, peck at the grass and dig holes in search of bugs.

Resk has owned the chickens for 16 months, but he’s run afoul of Newport Beach city ordinances that prohibit owning poultry. But it’s all a semantic mix-up, Resk says, because his birds aren’t for meat or eggs; they’re largely ornamental.

His chickens — Red, Blackie, Flaty, Tiny, Blondie and Whitey — are the manifestation of an idea he had while sitting in his yard thinking chickens would be a nice decorative addition. But after a neighbor complained to the city, Resk was given two weeks to remove the birds. The deadline is imminent.

Newport Beach’s law, enacted in 1970, prohibits owning any animal commonly considered livestock within city limits, with a few exceptions in permitted areas. Resk said he’s prepared to pay fines.

Resk and the Goldenrod 6 have become a fixture for neighbors on a run, nannies and their charges, and passersby.

Susan Jent, a nanny who was watching over Matea and Madalyn one recent afternoon, said they often come by to see the birds. “We always walk past here and look for ... the chickens,” Jent said, as the girls stood along the fence greeting the birds. “It’s the highlight of the walk.”

Lorenza Robbins said her 4-year-old autistic daughter, Summer, visits the chickens daily, feeds them and dances with them during her visits.

For Summer, whose condition makes communication difficult, one of her first words was “chicken,” her mother said. Summer “just lights up when she sees the chickens,” Robbins said. “She loves them. For some reason, she connects with them.”

Resk is one of many Orange County residents who have begun to raise chickens, according to Margaret Millspaugh, owner of Wagon Train Feed & Tack in Orange. She’s known to many as the Chicken Lady of Orange County.

Millspaugh said she used to sell about 25 chickens a week, but recently her business has been booming, with 40 chicken sales a week. She said her clients come from across the county.

She said she knows many cities have relaxed their ordinances and permit chickens as pets, while some chicken owners may slip under the radar.

“A lot [more] people get away with owning chickens than we know about,” Millspaugh said. She added that chickens like to live in even-numbered groups. “I try to do even numbers — no odd man out.”

Huntington Beach allows six chickens per residence or 24 chicks younger than 8 weeks, provided they stay 25 feet away from other buildings. Irvine allows four chickens as long as they remain 30 feet from any home with certain zoning restrictions. Laguna Beach also allows residents to own chickens, provided that the birds don’t run free and are housed in a sanitary coop.

Resk said he hasn’t seen a snail, termite or spider since bringing his chickens home — but he also hasn’t seen much of his tomato plants recently. He had to replace his corn and broccoli with citrus plants, which are less tasty to his flock.

Resk said he thinks he’s dealing with an outdated law and believes his Goldenrod 6 contribute color to the community.

“I think this is just an old law,” he said.

“I think it adds a lot more than it detracts.”

lauren.williams@latimes.com