NAZARETH, Pa. — A proposed amendment that would ban chickens and other fowl in the borough was tabled by Borough Council, after a flock of feathered friend supporters clucked it up at Monday’s meeting.
The ordinance would have made it unlawful for residents to “keep or maintain chickens, ducks and any similar type of bird or fowl, including, geese, turkeys, grouse, pheasants, partridges and any other game bird, migratory bird or wild bird.”
Several dozen people came out to speak in defense of the birds.
Council President Dan Chiavaroli said council had heard complaints concerning pet fowl in the borough by one individual over the past 18 months, with claims that a neighbor’s chickens were crossing onto her property.
“So it's an emotional situation. We heard the negative side of it, and tonight from the 65 people, we heard the positive side of it. So now we're going to go back to the planning table. We're going back to the law committee, and they will be discussing it."Nazareth Borough Council President Dan Chiavaroli
Another resident had a small issue with a neighbor keeping a rooster, which was resolved when the bird was taken into the home.
Yet another case involved an individual keeping ducks in a cage constructed out of pallet pieces, though Chiavaroli said the borough zoning office addressed that matter.
But the vast majority of the dozens of people at the meeting — several of whom spoke during public comment — were in favor of allowing chickens and ducks in the borough.
Only a handful appeared in support of the ban, with only one person speaking during the meeting.
“So it's an emotional situation," Chiavaroli said. "We heard the negative side of it, and tonight from the 65 people, we heard the positive side of it.
"So now we're going to go back to the planning table. We're going back to the law committee, and they will be discussing it.”
Chiavaroli said one discerning factor in the discussion is the layout of the borough in relation to how much space a coop or other enclosure would require.
Other issues included waste, odor, and sound.
“We’re close together," Chiavaroli said. "A lot of our lots are 35 feet wide… it’s a different situation from Bushkill Township or Lower Nazareth Township.”
Chiavaroli said council and the law committee are looking into regulations from surrounding areas, including Tatamy and Bethlehem, for inspiration.
Nazareth is willing to compromise on the matter, he said, but the matter must be evaluated by the legal team before an ordinance is presented again.
Both sides of the fence... or coop
Auggie Sauerzopf came to the meeting in support of the ban, citing personal experiences he had with a nearby neighbor over their chickens.
“I grew up on a farm," Sauerzopf said. "I know all about [chickens], you know, but you’ve got to have some restrictions.
"They can't be right up against your house, or your neighbor's house, because of the smell. You can't open your windows because of the ducks quacking all the time.”
Sauerzopf said his wife has attended council meetings to raise awareness about the noise level from a neighbor’s bird setup.
But after speaking with some of the chicken fans at the meeting, he was willing to compromise a bit, as long as owners respect their neighbors and follow some sensible regulations.
Nazareth resident Jennifer Grube came to the meeting to speak out against the ban.
She said there are “hundreds and hundreds of people who do own chickens in the borough, and we don’t want to give up our pets.”
She said she originally heard about the ordinance from a neighbor, and was surprised that the topic had been a point of discussion for months.
A petition
Grube and several other chicken owners and supporters set out with a petition in support of allowing chickens, which ended up with about 1,200 signatures.
“They were not expecting the push of all of us fighting to keep our flocks in the borough," Grube said. "But had that neighbor not reached out to me, I probably still wouldn't know any of this was going on. Nobody would."
According to Grube, while some outspoken neighbors may be opposed to people keeping chickens in Nazareth, she has seen no trouble.
"Everybody has a good time with them, and just don't feel it's fair. None of my neighbors feel it's fair."Jennifer Grube of Nazareth
“No trouble at all," she said. "My neighbors all come over, they go in my chicken coop, they play with the chickens. They get eggs from the chickens.
"Everybody has a good time with them, and just don't feel it's fair. None of my neighbors feel it's fair."
Grube said she would be open to compromise, and possibly setting some regulations for keeping fowl in the borough, “if it means that we keep our chickens and we work toward educating people.”
The problem, Grube said, is a limited number of irresponsible owners who do not keep their birds in a proper setting, which led to many believing that most chicken keepers treated their birds in a similar manner.
A boy and his Shadow
Monday’s public comment period appeared to change some minds.
Tammy Stonewall took to the podium to help clear up what she said was numerous misconceptions about chickens and ducks.
She also raised a question as to how five complaints regarding fowl warrant a ban as opposed to numerous complaints linked to dogs or other animals leads to no action whatsoever.
Stonewall said that despite what people may think, chicken hens actually are quite quiet, produce relatively little waste compared with dogs, and tend not to attract any predators that were not already present in the community.
According to Stonewall, she was driven to speak in support of backyard chickens and ducks thanks to her son Cole, 12, who keeps emotional support chickens, and a duck named Shadow.
Stonewall said she believes even if a ban went into effect, her son would be protected, but she did not want to see anyone else lose their beloved pets — especially after she saw what an impact they had on Cole.
Cole had previously been paired with an emotional support dog and a cat, to no avail.
'Not the norm'
Four years ago, he got an emotional support duck, and Stonewall said it made all the difference.
Cole now is able to center himself despite issues with anxiety, auditory processing disorder and other ailments, and Stonewall said the birds are the answer.
Now, Cole and his mother want to help other people who may not have an ADA exception also enjoy keep chickens, ducks and other fowl in a responsible manner.
“So I wanted to come here to the council and let them know that I am not the problem. Just because my chicken and duck are not the norm doesn't take mean that they're not our pets.”Tammy Stonewall of Nazareth
She and her son took to the streets to gather signatures in support of backyard chickens and ducks, with Cole taking along Shadow along for support — much to the amusement of just about every person they encountered, Stonewall said.
“We had, as a collective, 343 signatures of people that were in the borough," she said. "Myself, I had 49 of my immediate neighbors within a couple blocks.
"The ones that answered — considering election, a lot of people weren't answering their doors — but I got the majority of the neighbors that all signed this petition.
“So I wanted to come here to the council and let them know that I am not the problem. Just because my chicken and duck are not the norm doesn't take mean that they're not our pets.”
