We purchased a house with friends of ours in May. The house contains 3 lots and is nearly 1 acre in size. Upon moving in we spoke with a fellow community member who has 200 chickens and was told that we were permitted to have domesticated chickens so long as we were not utilizing them for financial gain.  

Given the current economical climate we were interested in getting them for two part purposes. We believed it would be beneficial for the two children in the household to learn the importance of responsibility and self sustainability, as well as take advantage of the eggs. 

The chickens reside in a 800sqft fenced in pen in our yard with a 16sqft shed. The pen and shed reside on the back part of our property and do not create an eye sore, they are all hens who are very quiet and we keep their area clean. 

On July 12th, 2022 we received a notice of violation stating it is illegal to keep chickens in the borough. I know 3 other individuals in the community who have kept chickens for years, the mechanic on Canal street (off the main entrance into town) has goats, which is another livestock, in the main part of town. 

The purpose of this petition is to attempt to persuade borough officials to amend the silly ordinance to allow domesticated chickens inside of the community. The City of Pittsburgh even allows residents to have back yard chickens. 

For links regarding the benefits of chickens please review the below article:

https://www.strombergschickens.com/site/7-benefits-to-raising-backyard-chickens/

https://www.greenamerica.org/green-living/many-benefits-backyard-chickens