North Charleroi: Feathers ruffled over chickens

By TAYLOR BROWN

tbrown@yourmvi.com

Communities across the Mon Valley have had to address problems with stray and feral animals. In North Charleroi, chickens seem to be the problem.

During a virtual meeting Monday, Council President Carrie Zeletski said numerous phone calls have come in recently asking about the birds in the borough.

“We have received a lot of calls lately with questions about chickens in the community,” Zeletski said. 

She said residents are asking about rules for keeping chickens on residential property and complaining about their neighbors’ coops.

“I’d like to have (borough solicitor) Chrissy (Carindale) look into the ordinance so we can make sure the people who have them are complying and to also make sure our ordinance is up to date for the times,” she said. 

Mayor Steve Hega doesn’t want to be too strict on residents.

“Here is what I think about the chickens,” Hega said. “If people want to make a nice pen in their back yard, I don’t see anything wrong with it. They might be down on their luck, maybe lost their job because of the pandemic and need them to lay the eggs to help feed their families.” 

Cardinale said there are certain problems that may need to be addressed.

“If you build a coop, that is one thing, but we have people putting the chickens in dog crates in their back yard,” Cardinale said. “Neighbors are complaining about issues with smells.” 

Zeletski said it’s important to make sure the animals are properly cared for.

“They are not getting shelter,” she said. “We can’t have chickens in dog cages in people’s backyard.”

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