MADISON, Wis. (WRN) — Proposed legislation in the Wisconsin Legislature would allow backyard chickens across the state.
Residents of some municipalities are already allowed to keep chickens, but many others prohibit it. Representative Shae Sortwell of Two Rivers is the Assembly author.
“Great cities like Madison and Green Bay have already pioneered the way, and so we don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” Sortwell said. “We already can already look at other municipalities and say, hey, what’s working, and we’ll pick one that seems to be working and follow their lead.”
Sortwell’s bill allows for up to four chickens or quail, but not ducks. He said it makes sense with avian influenza decimating commercial flocks, and noted the state already monitors for the disease in backyard flocks.
Sortwell introduced similar legislation last session.