Residents come out in defense of chickens

By Matt Freeze —

The Owego Village Hall was packed Monday night regarding concerns about a potential chicken ordinance in the works. 

“I know a lot of you are here for the same reason,” Deputy Mayor Charles Plater said. “Social media, I believe, has blown this out of proportion, billing this as the village board against chicken lovers— that’s not what this is all about.”

Plater told residents that they received a complaint about rodents, which led to an infestation of predators, so the board has started looking for a solution to fix the problem. 

“So, there’s no ban, and before TMZ bursts through the door with paparazzi here, I just want to say we’re providing a forum for a discussion — nothing’s going to be set in stone tonight,” Plater said. “We just want to make sure we have information that needs to be given before a proper decision can be made. So, if you came here tonight to throw insults or eggs at the board members, please don’t.”

However, he said while setting two empty egg cartons on the desk, he would gladly accept some eggs or chicken while placing an empty KFC bucket next to the egg cartons on the desk. 

“In all seriousness, though, we’re all adults here,” Plater continued. “All that I ask is that we’re kind to each other and we talk in a respectful manner.”

Trustee Rusty Fuller pointed out that the purpose of public comment is to talk to the board, not “devolve into some back and forth shouting match” between them and the board, or amongst themselves.

Trustee Terry VanHall said that she and the board were thankful for those who had reached out to her to discuss their concerns regarding a potential ordinance. 

She also said that Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Tioga County Public Health Department, and county Soil and Water helped them get pointed in the right direction for what the ordinance would potentially look like. 

Village Attorney Nathan VanWhy wanted to reiterate that the village hasn’t even drafted a proposed law at this point in time. 

“There is no existing draft — there have been conversations, but we don’t have anything to put in front of you, the public, and say here’s what’s being adopted,” he said. “I haven’t put it together yet because they’re still doing their due diligence in gathering information to tell me, okay, this is what we think the law should look like.”

VanWhy said that once that’s done, a public hearing will be set for the residents to come give input on the proposal before the board votes on whether to put it in place. 

“You’ll have a formal opportunity and an actual draft of the law to comment on in the future,” he said. 

Tioga County Environmental Health Director Dan Scherrer told residents that the county does have existing guidelines on animals and fowl — namely, that feces aren’t allowed to accumulate within 50 feet of a neighbor’s property line so as not to cause a nuisance to public health, via smell or by impacting water quality.

“If your dog is going to the bathroom next to the neighbor’s fence, that’s not what we’re talking about,” Scherrer said. “We’re talking about accumulating large amounts where it can actually smell — this is for the whole county — and it’s because we had an issue with someone on 20 acres who took a whole pile of fecal matter and plopped it right next to their neighbor’s home, purposely.”

Apart from the smell, it can create a rodent issue, he said. 

Public comment turned to Andrea Jones, who had spoken to the board previously on the matter. 

“I want to mention that the person who initially requested a total ban on livestock and poultry within the village approached me a while ago to tell me they’re actually in support of responsible chicken ownership in the village,” Jones said. “On the predator issue, in almost eight years of raising chickens, the only predator we personally dealt with is a Cooper’s hawk, because they’re visible from above.”

Jones said there are existing code rules that prohibit noise and mess, and that it would make more sense to “simply enforce those rules we already have, than create new restrictions to admonish responsible keepers.”

She also said the village should take advantage of the “nuisance conditions” designation when it comes to sanitary concerns, but urged them not to restrict the number of chickens.

After she was done speaking, Plater asked others in attendance in support of chickens to raise their hands, which prompted everyone in the room to raise theirs.

“This is what a community looks like,” Plater said, and added that in the interest of brevity, he requested subsequent speakers only discuss things that hadn’t already been brought up by someone before them. 

Residents Chris Peterson and his wife, Susan, said they moved to the village from New York City in 1995, and told trustees how superior home-raised eggs are, nutritionally and culinarily speaking.

Peterson also pointed out that in both World Wars, the federal government encouraged people to raise chickens in their backyards in order to aid the war effort. 

“They said, ‘no yard is too small to raise a few chickens,’” he said. 

Resident Tara Gates reiterated the food quality advantages, as well as the companionship aspect of chicken keeping. 

“They’re almost like emotional support animals for me — I can’t get out easily, and it’s a comfort for me to hear them talking with each other,” she said. 

Resident Kayla French told trustees that raising chickens allows her daughter to participate in 4-H, which is very important to her family, as well as the Farm Bureau. 

Cub Frisbee, president of the Tioga County Farm Bureau, said he applauded the trustees for not rushing into a decision, and offered his assistance when drafting the ordinance language, as he’s done that for other municipalities within the county. 

After public comment on the matter was concluded, Plater told residents they were free to stay for the remainder of the meeting, or leave — a significant majority of those in attendance proceeded to leave. 

Plater also thanked the residents for being kind, and said “ this is what I call a village — this is a perfect example.”

As people were filing out, Peterson said, “That’s it? Only chickens bring these people here?”