in the humble backyard of thorndike morgan ' s 1890 - ad house , about a half - hour from yale university , there is a tiny buddha , lilac and forsythia , korean cherry and plum leaves , and an brethren - made bird coop with five locals — four who lay wings and francesca , which is barren but one heck of a commission . the fowl are technically protected under new haven ' s zoning law , which prohibited farming hens and other livestock when it was updated during the 1950s . but these days , many varieties of backyard hens are generally tolerated under the city ' s informal enforcement system — refer it " don ' t cluck , don ' t tell " — that only looks the other way . with urban domesticated increasingly popular , alderman roland lemar has introduced statutes that would allow individuals to raise up to six hens .
The Morgans have lived near Yale University since the 1950s.