We have had our chickens and ducks for one year now. To celebrate, I made a DON'T TREAD ON ME graphic. Shirts, hoodies, and stickers are now available on my Redbubble shop. If you would like a yard sign, please email me directly at walesav@gmail.com.

If you would like to catch up on the latest in our saga, the Wellsboro Gazette is tracking our story. Read about it here.

In January, we went to the Zoning Hearing Board to apply for a variance. Interestingly, although they did not grant the variance, the last paragraphs of the decision state that the board “was compelled by the testimony of the Applicant, the Applicant’s witnesses, and comments from the public at large.  The Wellsboro Zoning Hearing Board does not play any part in the drafting of the Ordinance.  However, when a flaw, weakness, or lack of clarity is noticed, it is the obligation of the Zoning Board to communicate the issue the municipality for their consideration.  It is the recommendation of the Zoning Board that the Borough Ordinance be reviewed and clarified so that Borough residents know whether or not keeping of chickens and ducks for non commercial use is permitted anywhere in the borough.”

This week, the borough council took us to court to once again assert pressure on us to remove our pets from our property. The non-compliance fines are up to $8500. They requested that we remove the birds while they re-write the ordinance (up to three months) and pay their court fees, rather than pay the fines. 

We will see what the judge says.

Over 2,000 people signed our petition. We thank you for calling, writing, and emailing the borough council on our behalf. I believe that it is the pressure from the community that will ultimately make a difference in the matter of making animals legal in Wellsboro. Keep up the good work!

If you are interested in raising chickens, Dunhams has a good article on their website.