Board clears way for ducks to join chickens living in village

Quacking has been added to clucking and buzzing among the sounds made by animals allowed to be kept in the Village of Grafton.

The Village Board last week approved the Plan Commission’s recommendation to amend an ordinance to allow residents to have ducks, joining chickens and bees on the permitted list.

The board unanimously approved the change without discussion.

Village Administrator Jesse Thyes said he doesn’t anticipate any issues with residents keeping the birds.

“I think it will be a welcome addition,” he said. “We have not had any issues with the existing ordinance with the keeping of chickens.”

The ordinance requires permit holders to maintain the birds in a sanitary, unattached structure and provide them with access to a water feature and 50 square feet of run per bird. It would prohibit the slaughter of the animals and the sale of their eggs without permission from the State of Wisconsin and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The ordinance also requires that the ducks are not so noisy that they “disturb a person of normal sensitivity.” 

Grafton resident Michael Rosenthal proposed the ordinance change in May so he and his family — a member of which is allergic to chicken eggs — could have what he said is a more ethical and cost-effective way to get their hands on duck eggs.

Rosenthal said a dozen duck eggs cost $10 at the West Bend farmer’s market and can go for more than $15 online.

“With the rising cost of groceries and increasing interest in local food sourcing, having a small, peaceful flock of egg-laying ducks will allow us to provide our household with a fresh, nutritious source of protein,” Rosenthal told Ozaukee Press.

Rosenthal plans to keep female Welsh Harlequin ducks, which are known for their quiet temperament and ability to tolerate harsh Wisconsin winters.

“We’ve already spoken with all our immediate neighbors — those adjacent to and across from us — and they are supportive and even enthusiastic about the idea,” Rosenthal said.

The ordinance allowing chickens to be kept in the village was approved in 2017 and has yet to result in any formal complaints, Thyes said.

Twelve people have permits that allow them to keep chickens in the village.

Grafton joins Mequon as the only communities in Ozaukee County to allow ducks.

Grafton’s ordinance still prohibits other creatures such as horses, cattle, sheep, goats, llamas, deer, antelope and aquatic species.

“I think that there’s going to come a time when we’re going to have to say no to some of this,” Village President and Plan Commission Chairman Dan Delorit said at the June 24 Plan Commission meeting. “I don’t think we’re at that point right now.”