LETTER: Inviting chickens to live and lay in Belgium is a bad idea 

To Ozaukee Press:

The Belgium Village Board is writing a new ordinance to allow backyard chickens. It’s a bad idea for these important reasons:

Smaller backyards and close proximity to neighbors don’t allow free-range

living conditions for the chickens. Animal welfare advocates recommend cage-free nesting and outdoor space for natural chicken behaviors such as foraging, perching, scratching, dust bathing and wing flapping. Restricting natural behaviors can

result in stress, aggression and sickness. The Town of Belgium is better suited for housing chickens.

Chickens will attract rodents with their special feed. They also attract coyotes and hawks present in our area as prey. This is an added danger for small pets and children.

Chickens can spread disease. Wild birds and waterfowl in our area could

carry bird flu which can easily spread to chickens. They can then spread it in various ways to cats and dogs.

Property values will go down. Chickens are noisy and deposit foul droppings that adversely affect neighbors. The necessary coops and wire fencing will be unsightly at best, downright trashy looking at worst. Besides negatively affecting home values, this can cause bad feelings among neighbors.

If you are a village homeowner and oppose chickens in Belgium, please contact the Village Hall to express your opposition. 

Diane Ryan

Belgium