Isabella Acuña isn't your average 12-year-old. Sure, she has braces. Yes, she wears arms full of colorful bracelets and fingers bedecked with glittery rings.

But Acuña is an enterprising young 'un with a passion for chickens. Not for eating, of course — Acuña has been a vegetarian since kindergarten — but rather as pets.

The problem lies in the City of Houston Code of Ordinances, specifically Sec. 6-31, which stipulates location restrictions for fowl: They may not be "kept or possessed within 100 feet of any actual residence or habitation of human beings," including churches, schools and hospitals.

Acuña and her mother, Anne, purchased their first batch of chicks about three years ago. It didn't take long for the family to realize that the hens were more than just engines for egg-laying; they're pets, with personalities and peculiarities akin to a household cat.

Kelly, Yoko, Mary, Omlet and Ginger would follow family members with curiosity. Esther, a bantam chicken who is Acuña's favorite, would peck on the French door in the living room until she was allowed in, then curl up on the couch next to Acuña to watch television.

That all changed in March, when the Acuñas received a citation for having the coop too close to the neighboring houses. The family had to ship off their brood to live with grandparents in Pearland.

Since then, Acuña has been on a mission — under the banner of Hens for Homes — to amend the ordinance to a number not based upon an arbitrary distance. She has researched other city's ordinances to get an idea of the standard (some cities have no distance restrictions; for most, it's between 20 to 30 feet from dwellings) and to draw up revised ordinance language.

Tucked under her slim arm, Acuña carries a thick binder brimming with that paperwork, plus magazines, pamphlets and promotional materials. She preaches to city council members, business owners, community leaders, neighborhood associations, media outlets and pretty much anyone who will listen.

And all of this enthusiasm has gained support for the cause. An online petition has garnered over 700 signatures, some of them from as far away Scotland. A countertop petition at Wabash Antiques & Feed Store has raised awareness for other local chicken-keepers who, like the Acuñas, thought that they were in compliance with the rules.

The issue also strikes a chord with Beth Bonnette, principal at Woodrow Wilson Montessori, where Acuña will enter seventh grade in the fall. An Eagle Scout candidate has proposed to build a coop for his service project and chicken-rearing, in conjunction with a school garden, will become part of a larger "where our food comes from" curriculum.

"People have mostly been very supportive," Acuña told CultureMap. She has passed a busy summer, visiting with city council members Ed Gonzalez, James Rodriguez, Stephen Costello and Ellen Cohen; Laura Spanjian, Mayor Annise Parker's sustainability director; restaurateurs like Monica Pope; and leaders like Gracie Cavnar from Recipe for Success.

Many have suggested that the passionate preteen continue to assemble community support for the Hens for Homes initiative, one that Acuña believes will promote environmental stewardship and healthy, local egg production.

One day, we'll all be allowed to keep backyard coops — and we'll have this fervent middle schooler to thank.