South Strabane considering changing chicken ban
One of the chickens that once occupied the coop at Tim and Becky Syrek’s home in South Strabane Township.
Tim and Becky Syrek of South Strabane Township kept chickens in this pen in their backyard until they learned the animals are forbidden in residential areas in the township. Supervisors are considering a revision to the ordinance.
Tim and Becky Syrek aren’t counting their chickens before they hatch, but they’re hoping an ongoing review of South Strabane Township’s zoning ordinance will allow them to keep some feathery friends in their backyard.
Following in Peters Township’s footsteps, South Strabane is considering changes to its ordinance that would allow chickens to be kept as pets, which is currently forbidden except on agricultural-zoned land. A planning consultant is gathering information from other municipalities, like Peters, that allow chickens in residential areas.
“There are pros and cons to having farm animals in a residential area,” said township manager John Stickle.
Supervisor Ed Mazur made a motion at the last township meeting to permit chickens in residential areas, but it did not have enough support to move forward. Other officials said they wanted more time to review their options.
The Syreks, who live on Kelly Drive, had four white leghorn hens that were kept in their backyard. They collected their eggs from a coop and allowed the chickens to roam free in the general vicinity. When a neighbor complained about their wandering, the township sent the Syreks a letter last fall with a 30-day notice to get rid of the chickens.
Becky Syrek said they thought they were following the rules because there is no mention of chickens under the “animals” section of the ordinance. However, a different section permits chickens on agricultural land – and that zone alone – as long as the homeowner has at least five acres. The Syreks own less than a half-acre of land in the R-3 district.
Tim Syrek said their chickens’ eggs were fresher and tasted better than store-bought eggs.
“The way the world’s going now toward free-range and low-antibiotic food, it’s like a new thing,” he said. “It’s like (the supervisors) are trying to hold back a boulder down the hill. It’s going to be everywhere.”
In response to complaints about residential chicken coops, Peters Township launched an investigation last summer and ultimately decided to change the ordinance to allow as many as six chickens per household. Residents can face a $300 fine if they own a rooster or if they allow the chickens to fly out of their enclosure.
Becky Syrek said the movement toward self-sufficiency is not just a whim.
“It’s becoming a new lifestyle, more than a fad,” she said, adding other neighbors expressed an interest in getting chickens.
“I fell in love with the chickens,” she said. “It was kind of a twofold thing. I wanted the fresh eggs, and I thought it would be kind of fun to have (the chickens).”
The Syreks resubmitted a proposal to the township to keep as many as six hens in a fenced-in area. She said they would likely get a combination of two breeds: Buff Orpington and Plymouth Rock chickens.
“Leghorns can fly, which we didn’t know that,” she said of the first chickens they owned. “Some of the Buff Orpingtons, they generally like to stay around, and they don’t try to fly because their body is heavier.”
In the meantime, the township is still in the process of revising its natural gas drilling ordinance.
Tim Syrek said he thinks that issue distracted township officials from entertaining their request for chickens.
“They’re too worried about fighting over gas wells and pads and all that to worry about chickens,” he said.
Stickle said the planning consultant’s report on chicken ordinances would not be ready for Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting.