City residents can soon keep chickens

Having chickens within Libby city limits will soon be allowed, with the Libby City Council’s unanimous approval of Ordinance 1922 on Aug. 6.

Ordinances go into effect 30 days after passing.

The ordinance permits city residents to keep up to five chickens, providing that certain conditions such as yard and coop space are met.

Roosters older than three months are not allowed.

Denise Pepmiller of Libby, the Missouri native who proposed the ordinance during public comment at the April 2 City Council meeting, was present when the ordinance was passed. She said she felt “success and hope that other people will find their voices to speak up about things they want to see changed.”

Unfortunately, Pepmiller said her tiny yard doesn’t appear to meet the requirements the ordinance sets forth. Still, she said she planned to apply for a permit and “see what happens.”

If allowed, she’d like to get five bantams “because they’re small and I have a three-year-old who likes to carry stuff around.” She’d have to wait until next spring, when Homesteader’s Ranch and Feed Supply, where she works, will next have them in stock for sale.

Pepmiller has said her daughter, Delphia, is an “animal whisperer” and that she’d like to teach her about the cycle of life by raising chickens.

The City Council’s Ordinance Committee drafted the ordinance after holding numerous meetings and soliciting comments from residents and agencies including the Lincoln County Health Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.