I'm a new resident to Annville, Pennsylvania, but not a new chicken owner. I sold my birds a few years ago to visit Romania, married and moved from Mobile, Alabama to my husband's home in Annville.
I never lost the chicken-itch, it just had to take back seat to other life events for a while.
My husband and I live on a 3 acre (narrow strip) of land that is intersected by a county road (bummer), and the two acres on the other side of that road are wooded and a steep downhill. Husband likes to hunt on it but I can't say it's good for much else.
We have about six very quiet neighbors in our hood. One neighbor behind us has about twelve pygmy goats. We are located exactly 1.5 miles from the Annville Township. (That area mapped by a red perimeter on google maps.)
First off- Howdy to anyone from the Annville PA area, and nearby surrounding areas!!!
Our property came with three outbuildings- two sheds that both have the potential to be turned into a beautiful chicken coop. The one building was formerly a carriage house as it contained some pieces of carriage tack and a curry comb, and a coworker of my husbands played with the owner's son in his childhood and mentioned that they owned the neighborhood's land before they sold it bit by bit as individual lots. They kept some animals at that time. (At the time I doubt the place was zoned R-1 as it is today.)
I have determined that I want to raise an exotic or otherwise critical, threatened, or endangered breed of chicken. This requires keeping a rooster or two. In the case of keeping Black Sumatra's, as I would like, I would need a very large run/aviary as our property is too narrow to free-range them.
My research into Annville township chicken laws states: no rooster, no more than four laying hens. But husband says it's probably just for in-town residents. I mean, shoot, we have open fields just behind our three acres and farmland everywhere out here. So if the law doesn't apply to the North Annville area, how can I be sure my birds (specifically Mr. Happy spurs) wont tick off my neighbors???
Our property was listed as R-1 when we bought the house, but with one neighbor owning a dozen goats,....
When I first moved in I did hear a rooster from time to time, crowing. But that sound has since disappeared for unknown reasons.
If anyone could give some encouraging input, it would be much appreciated as I would like to get back into chicken ownership without being issued any warnings, fines, or looks from perturbed neighbors.
Being from Mobile, Alabama, -- everyone there was so "country" they didn't care if you owned a hundred chickens and a donkey next door. Animal control/zoning was pretty pathetic, so one had a lot of freedom to do with the land what he pleased- unless he was part of a homeowners association- which I suppose is what people got themselves into if they didn't want to chance their neighbor's whim to raise pigs.
Annville is such a pristine and clean little town that I'm not sure how neighbors will react to about 12 birds and a crowing roo or two. I'd also hate to risk the investment in a nice run/aviary if I have to get rid of my birds by law.
Thanks in advance!
I never lost the chicken-itch, it just had to take back seat to other life events for a while.
My husband and I live on a 3 acre (narrow strip) of land that is intersected by a county road (bummer), and the two acres on the other side of that road are wooded and a steep downhill. Husband likes to hunt on it but I can't say it's good for much else.
We have about six very quiet neighbors in our hood. One neighbor behind us has about twelve pygmy goats. We are located exactly 1.5 miles from the Annville Township. (That area mapped by a red perimeter on google maps.)
First off- Howdy to anyone from the Annville PA area, and nearby surrounding areas!!!
Our property came with three outbuildings- two sheds that both have the potential to be turned into a beautiful chicken coop. The one building was formerly a carriage house as it contained some pieces of carriage tack and a curry comb, and a coworker of my husbands played with the owner's son in his childhood and mentioned that they owned the neighborhood's land before they sold it bit by bit as individual lots. They kept some animals at that time. (At the time I doubt the place was zoned R-1 as it is today.)
I have determined that I want to raise an exotic or otherwise critical, threatened, or endangered breed of chicken. This requires keeping a rooster or two. In the case of keeping Black Sumatra's, as I would like, I would need a very large run/aviary as our property is too narrow to free-range them.
My research into Annville township chicken laws states: no rooster, no more than four laying hens. But husband says it's probably just for in-town residents. I mean, shoot, we have open fields just behind our three acres and farmland everywhere out here. So if the law doesn't apply to the North Annville area, how can I be sure my birds (specifically Mr. Happy spurs) wont tick off my neighbors???
Our property was listed as R-1 when we bought the house, but with one neighbor owning a dozen goats,....
When I first moved in I did hear a rooster from time to time, crowing. But that sound has since disappeared for unknown reasons.
If anyone could give some encouraging input, it would be much appreciated as I would like to get back into chicken ownership without being issued any warnings, fines, or looks from perturbed neighbors.
Being from Mobile, Alabama, -- everyone there was so "country" they didn't care if you owned a hundred chickens and a donkey next door. Animal control/zoning was pretty pathetic, so one had a lot of freedom to do with the land what he pleased- unless he was part of a homeowners association- which I suppose is what people got themselves into if they didn't want to chance their neighbor's whim to raise pigs.
Annville is such a pristine and clean little town that I'm not sure how neighbors will react to about 12 birds and a crowing roo or two. I'd also hate to risk the investment in a nice run/aviary if I have to get rid of my birds by law.
Thanks in advance!
