Shawano County is getting out of the chicken banning business.
That was the consensus of the Planning, Development and Zoning Committee when it gathered March 5.
Supervisor Kathy Luebke said the banning of poultry in residential areas would be officially lifted at the May meeting, after town officials present the information to their residents at annual meetings slated for April.
“Our department has too many other items and short staff,” she said. “My personal feeling is to remove it (poultry) from the ordinance, and if the local municipality wants to enforce it more, that’s up to them.”
The chicken issue raised its head again at the request of Angelica Town Chairman Jim Przybylski, also a county supervisor.
“We’ve been having conversations recently pertaining to the chickens specifically in hamlets for their township, but it also applies to all residential areas,” said Kari Hopfensperger, county planner. “Your direction in November was for us not to enforce the chickens in residential areas any longer, and we were planning on amending the zoning ordinance to probably remove poultry from the definition of farm animals. We just haven’t had the opportunity to amend the ordinance yet.”
Raising chickens in residential areas was discussed at last month’s town board meeting, so Przybylski sent letters to all residents in Angelica, Krakow and Zachow about the chicken rules.
He explained the county’s hands-off approach taken last fall and prepared a local ordinance in case the county wiped its hands clean of the chicken ban.
“I think the Town of Angelica just wants to keep the peace with the people,” he said. “We wouldn’t present (in a proposed ordinance) a yearly permit or something in that nature (including inspections).”
Zachow resident Jacob Van Schyndel made his case in favor of allowing chickens. Formerly a resident of Ashwaubenon, he said there is a big homesteading movement underway with people moving away from the larger cities to smaller rural areas.
“For us, having these chickens is being self-sustaining a bit (regardless of the price of eggs),” he said. “It’s a self-sustaining movement for us. We’re OK even if there was a permitted thing. We’d be willing to pay permits and fees.
“In Ashwaubenon … we could have up to three hens permitted. Here we can’t, and we have even more room and more space.”
He said he does not support free-range chickens as that can lead to traffic issues and property damage.
Personally, he also made the case for his son, who has an intellectual disability.
“One thing that he responds heavily to is animal husbandry,” Van Schyndel said. “For him having chickens — we’ve joined the 4-H to try to get him some experience there.”
All discussions focused on hens. Roosters would presumably still be banned in residential areas.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
Chicken issue has come home to roost
