EDWARDSBURG, Mich. — Some people in rural Edwardsburg are crying "fowl." In Ontwa Township, the local government is making some people get rid of their chickens.

The Shaw family lives on Redfield Road in Ontwa Township. The family of five has lived there for 11 years. According to Tracy Shaw, they have owned chickens, ducks and geese the entire time.

Tracy said they haven't had a problem with their animals until two weeks ago. That's when they received a letter from the zoning administrator telling them that it's against a township ordinance to house "poultry." The letter gave them 15 days to get rid of the birds, but the family asked and received a 15-day extension.

The action was spurred by a neighbor who said the noise and smell from the animals caused her to file a complaint.

Zoning board administrator Phil Steele said the ordinance was established in 1980 and enforcement is complaint driven.

"I'm not going to go out there just looking for trouble," Steele explained.

The Shaws can also pay $100 to have a public hearing to petition the local government for a permit, but there is no guarantee one would be issued. And in this economy, money is tight.

"That's a lot of money right now, my husband's only working 4 days a week and the economy is really bad," Shaw said.

The animals are more than just "poultry" to the Shaw family. To 9-year-old Sarah Shaw, the many birds are her pets. Her favorite is a white hen she named Whitey. To her mother Tracy, like the large garden in their back yard, the eggs these animals lay serve as a source of food for her family.

"I have three kids, and my husband and myself, so we pretty much eat most of [the eggs]," Tracy said.

Owning chickens is common in this area. Jerry Greenfield lives just down the road. He's lived there for 50 years, and said he's had chickens the whole time. He said he has never heard of a township ordinance prohibiting the housing of poultry.

"They don't smell and they don't cause a bunch of racket. I just don't understand it," Greenfield said. "I don’t see where it hurts. We’re out in the country, we’re not in town, we’re not really close to each other."

Ontwa Township officials waive the $100 fee for the public hearing in some cases. The Shaws hope to petition the township for a permit if the fee is waived; otherwise they say they'll have to butcher their chickens, geese and ducks.