PRIEST RIVER — A local couple will be allowed to keep a flock of rescued drakes after the City Council voted 2-1 Monday to grant an exemption to a city ordinance regarding chickens in city limits.

In granting the exemption to Williams Sires and Tierra Plaster, the council capped the number of male ducks the couple could have at the existing seven. The exemption is also specific to the couple, allowing them to keep the ducks in the event they ever move from their existing rental home.

While noting the couple’s unique circumstances, Mayor Jeff Connolly said he didn’t see a large difference between owning chickens and ducks and supported making an exemption in this case.

“We allow chickens and for some reason we’ve decided that it’s a good idea to have chickens so people can grow their own eggs,” Connolly said. “I don’t see a lot of difference here.”

While he sympathized, Councilor Doug Wagner cautioned that the move could backfire.

“I think you're opening a can of worms on this one,” he said. “Somebody else out in town will have a different animal that wants to take care of.”

While possible, Connolly said that, like Sires and Plaster, those individuals would need to come before the council for a similar exemption.

The exemption allows the couple to keep the flock of seven bonded drake ducks together at their Priest River home. After the vote, the couple thanked city officials for listening and for granting their request.

"I rescued the ducks once,” Sires said. “I'm just trying to rescue them again. I'm not trying to homestead. I don't want eggs. I don't want any of that. I just saw animals in Priest River that were about to get killed, and I rescued them.”

The couple had requested the variance from Priest River City Code 515B, which prohibits keeping more than six chickens and bars the keeping of roosters, after the poultry were spotted in their yard earlier this summer.

"I would ask the council to consider the unique facts of this situation and grant this variance, allowing us to save these animals and let us remain responsible and respectful neighbors," Plaster said.

Sires said the couple found the seven drakes abandoned at McAbee Falls, apparently by a hobby farmer when they turned out to be male ducks and not females who could lay eggs.

"My sole goal is to provide them with a safe and permanent home," Plaster said in making the request.

Sires and Plaster said that after finding the ducks abandoned at the falls, they couldn't leave them to die and brought them home in August 2025. Drakes can be difficult to rehome and are often abandoned or culled.

While they understand the reason for limiting the number and prohibiting roosters, both Sires and Plaster noted drakes are biologically different from roosters, with a raspy whisper sound that can be hard to hear from several feet away. They also are gentler on properties than chickens and act as a natural pest control.

In addition to ensuring the ducks are taken care of, the couple said they work to keep the waterfowl's area clean while minimizing waste buildup and odors. The couple's entire yard is fenced, and the domestic ducks don't travel beyond that area.

"They tend to stay together as a flock and they're very intelligent birds and include people as members of their flock," Plaster told the council. "They stay close to home and aren't a flight risk to wander onto neighbors' properties."

The waste and water are used to fertilize plants in their yard, also minimizing impact to nearby neighbors, the couple said.

A veteran and former state trooper, Sires said he is now a stay-at-home dad who supports his wife, Tierra Plaster, who operates a mobile dog grooming business. That gives him time to make sure the ducks stay in the yard and out of trouble.

"We're in the business to help animals," Sires said.