{"id":107396,"date":"2025-08-26T09:54:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T13:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=107396"},"modified":"2025-08-28T08:52:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T12:52:50","slug":"residents-come-out-in-defense-of-chickens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/08\/26\/residents-come-out-in-defense-of-chickens\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents come out in defense of chickens"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Matt Freeze —<\/p>\n

The Owego Village Hall was packed Monday night regarding concerns about a potential chicken ordinance in the works. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know a lot of you are here for the same reason,\u201d Deputy Mayor Charles Plater said. \u201cSocial media, I believe, has blown this out of proportion, billing this as the village board against chicken lovers\u2014 that\u2019s not what this is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, there\u2019s no ban, and before TMZ bursts through the door with paparazzi here, I just want to say we\u2019re providing a forum for a discussion \u2014 nothing\u2019s going to be set in stone tonight,\u201d Plater said. \u201cWe 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\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn all seriousness, though, we\u2019re all adults here,\u201d Plater continued. \u201cAll that I ask is that we\u2019re kind to each other and we talk in a respectful manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Residents<\/a>

One of Michelle Anders’ chickens enjoys a stroll on her Village of Owego property. Photo provided by Michelle Anders, Village of Owego.<\/p><\/div>\n

Trustee Rusty Fuller pointed out that the purpose of public comment is to talk to the board, not \u201cdevolve into some back and forth shouting match\u201d between them and the board, or amongst themselves.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

Village Attorney Nathan VanWhy wanted to reiterate that the village hasn\u2019t even drafted a proposed law at this point in time. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no existing draft \u2014 there have been conversations, but we don\u2019t have anything to put in front of you, the public, and say here\u2019s what\u2019s being adopted,\u201d he said. \u201cI haven\u2019t put it together yet because they\u2019re still doing their due diligence in gathering information to tell me, okay, this is what we think the law should look like.\u201d<\/p>\n

VanWhy said that once that\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have a formal opportunity and an actual draft of the law to comment on in the future,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Tioga County Environmental Health Director Dan Scherrer told residents that the county does have existing guidelines on animals and fowl \u2014 namely, that feces aren\u2019t allowed to accumulate within 50 feet of a neighbor\u2019s property line so as not to cause a nuisance to public health, via smell or by impacting water quality.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your dog is going to the bathroom next to the neighbor\u2019s fence, that\u2019s not what we\u2019re talking about,\u201d Scherrer said. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about accumulating large amounts where it can actually smell \u2014 this is for the whole county \u2014 and it\u2019s 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\u2019s home, purposely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apart from the smell, it can create a rodent issue, he said. <\/p>\n

Public comment turned to Andrea Jones, who had spoken to the board previously on the matter. <\/p>\n

\u201cI 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\u2019re actually in support of responsible chicken ownership in the village,\u201d Jones said. \u201cOn the predator issue, in almost eight years of raising chickens, the only predator we personally dealt with is a Cooper\u2019s hawk, because they\u2019re visible from above.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones said there are existing code rules that prohibit noise and mess, and that it would make more sense to \u201csimply enforce those rules we already have, than create new restrictions to admonish responsible keepers.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also said the village should take advantage of the \u201cnuisance conditions\u201d designation when it comes to sanitary concerns, but urged them not to restrict the number of chickens.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what a community looks like,\u201d Plater said, and added that in the interest of brevity, he requested subsequent speakers only discuss things that hadn\u2019t already been brought up by someone before them. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey said, \u2018no yard is too small to raise a few chickens,\u2019\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Resident Tara Gates reiterated the food quality advantages, as well as the companionship aspect of chicken keeping. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re almost like emotional support animals for me \u2014 I can\u2019t get out easily, and it\u2019s a comfort for me to hear them talking with each other,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s done that for other municipalities within the county. <\/p>\n

After public comment on the matter was concluded, Plater told residents they were free to stay for the remainder of the meeting, or leave \u2014 a significant majority of those in attendance proceeded to leave. <\/p>\n

Plater also thanked the residents for being kind, and said \u201c this is what I call a village \u2014 this is a perfect example.\u201d<\/p>\n

As people were filing out, Peterson said, \u201cThat\u2019s it? Only chickens bring these people here?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Matt Freeze — The Owego Village Hall was packed Monday night regarding concerns about a potential chicken ordinance in the works.  \u201cI know a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":107397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nResidents come out in defense of chickens - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/08\/26\/residents-come-out-in-defense-of-chickens\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Residents come out in defense of chickens - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Matt Freeze — The Owego Village Hall was packed Monday night regarding concerns about a potential chicken ordinance in the works.  \u201cI know a...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/08\/26\/residents-come-out-in-defense-of-chickens\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-26T13:54:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-28T12:52:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/08\/Chicken1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"375\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/08\/26\/residents-come-out-in-defense-of-chickens\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/08\/26\/residents-come-out-in-defense-of-chickens\/\",\"name\":\"Residents come out in defense of chickens - Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/08\/26\/residents-come-out-in-defense-of-chickens\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/08\/26\/residents-come-out-in-defense-of-chickens\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/08\/Chicken1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-26T13:54:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-28T12:52:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/08\/26\/residents-come-out-in-defense-of-chickens\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/08\/26\/residents-come-out-in-defense-of-chickens\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/08\/26\/residents-come-out-in-defense-of-chickens\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/08\/Chicken1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/08\/Chicken1.jpg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":375,\"caption\":\"Pictured are\u00a0Matilda, Angel, Rosie, and Raven, residents of the Village of Owego. 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