At a Town Council meeting on Tuesday, officials chose not to change rules governing where chickens could be kept in the town.

Hens are allowed only on town land zoned for agricultural purposes. A motion that sought to allow for up to four hens on residential property – with a permit – failed for lack of a second.

Four of the town’s five council members worried that hens would bring unwanted smells, noise and predators, increasing demand on animal control services. Others worried about a slippery slope.

“If we allow chickens, why not pot belly pigs?” Mayor Dick Sears said before the meeting. “I have a little problem with hens being referred to as pets.”

Linda Hunt Williams, the councilwoman who made the motion, said other council members’ concerns were overblown, and that backyard hens could be a positive addition to neighborhoods.

“There’s too much government control over too much of our lives,” Williams added. “These families and these kids see them as pets, no matter how we see them.”

Her failed motion came two weeks after a Holly Springs resident presented a case for backyard hens in the town, saying they make tasty eggs, provide organic fertilizer, kill insects and make for fun – and educational – pets.