Save Wilbur the Rooster ‑ Urgent!

  21,731 have signed Jackie Tanenbaum’s petition. Let’s get to 25,000!

Save Wilbur! Wilbur is a 2 year-old rooster who has lived in the Hereford Zone of northern Baltimore County his entire life. He is such a good boy--he protects his flock from threats, eats from your hand and only indulges in his favorite treat of blueberries after he’s sure that all the hens have had some first. His chirps, wiggles and wing-flapping-antics make us laugh every day.

Wilbur joined us on our ~5 acre property in August of 2022* and, since day one, one of our neighbors has complained about his crows. This couple is new to rural living and finds the sound of Wilbur’s crow so disturbing that they’ve filed multiple complaints against us with Animal Services. While they say that Wilbur is a nuisance, we say that rural living isn’t silent—it’s free from blaring horns, car alarms, and loud music—but its soundtrack includes sounds from farm equipment, chainsaws, cow bells, hunting rifles, big trucks and of course, rooster crows.

So, we’re going to court and want your help!! We appear in front of the Animal Hearing Board soon to defend Wilbur’s right to be a rooster in the country. Please sign this petition asking the Animal Hearing Board to dismiss the case and associated fines against Wilbur. Do not let this case set legal precedent allowing one complaining neighbor to threaten the rural and rooted-in-agriculture-lifestyle that so many of us in the Hereford Zone love.

*Under applicable Baltimore County law, there are no restrictions on having roosters on properties over an acre as long as they aren’t a “nuisance.”