Rule interpretation, Kirksville, MO

[Jua82]

After a few years of wishing, we were finally going to get chickens this year. Breeds picked, coop design ready, brooder supplies purchased... I was about to set up the brooder so it would be ready when we purchased the chicks in about an hour when I decided to do one last check with city hall.

We were planning on five hens based on the city code that said that was the limit of animals allowed in the Animals and Fowl section and we have no pets.

https://www.municode.com/library/mo...nces?nodeId=COOR_CH5ANFO_ARTIINGE_S5-15LINUAN

The woman from the city code office directed me to the section on Private Stables that says we have to have at least 20,000 sq ft then we could have 25 chickens for every 10,000 sq ft. Our lot is about 16,000 sq ft. Despite my protest that a small coop is not a stable, because we're 4,000 sq ft from being allowed *50* birds, we can't even have the 5 we had planned on.

https://www.municode.com/library/mo...nodeId=COOR_APXAZO_ARTVIDISIMIREDI_S25-50ACUS

Still not quite convinced, I begrudgingly returned all the unopened chick supplies we'd already purchased.

So...does anyone have any input or experience? Do you think we have a chance, or do we risk citations for everyday our "illegal" flock is on our property if we proceed?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

http://www.kirksvilledailyexpress.c...rksville-to-review-policy-on-housing-chickens

You might try to find out what happened at the subsequent meeting. I will keep digging.

 

[DanversChickens]

...

 

[MrsChickens]

As more and more city folks are moving to outlying areas creating suburban utopias, this 20,000 sq ft minimum in zoning laws is starting to crop up. There simply doesn't exist a residential yard that size - it's an effective mechanism to ban poultry yet preserve any determination of bias, prejudice or legal challenge. I specifically moved to my community because I wanted to establish an urban farm - vegetable raised gardens, fruit & berry orchard and yes, chickens on my 1/3 acre lot. When I bought the zoning permitted unrestricted poultry. Sometime during the first year I owned my property, the zoning law changed to this ridiculous 20,000 sq ft minimum. At first I started to mount a citizen petition to change the zoning laws to include numbers of chickens on properties larger than the "average" sized property. But lots of people wanted the change, yet none of them wanted to do the necessary work.

So I changed gears and decided to worry about me and set out to design a garage setup that would handle my chickens. I have a tuck under garage 30 ft long and 14+ ft wide - the door opens to the back of the property. I built a pen that spans the end of my garage measuring 14 ft wide 8ft deep and 6 ft high out of 2x4s and stapled chicken wire. I laid down 8x4 plastic lattice on the concrete with 3/4in plywood on top. I sprinkle diatomaceous earth directly on the plywood and then keep 1-2 in pine shavings as bedding. I use BriteTap nipple water (doesn't drip) w/Rubbermaid round 2 gal cooler along with standard dble wall feeder. On one end I have a sleeping house measuring 28 in wide, 59 in long and 36 in high. with two nesting boxes that poke through the chicken wire making access to egg collection easy outside of the pen. On the opposite end I built a slatted roost that is 40 in high, 18 in deep and 48 in wide that has a slide out shelf to scrape off droppings. Chickens like to roost so 80% of droppings can be collected on the shelf and scraped into the garbage each week. I have two double T8 lights on 15 hr timers. My pen is 112 sq ft less the 11 sq ft sleeping house leaves estimated 100 square feet floor space so I can easily maintain my 9 chickens. Windows on two walls of the pen provide great ventilation and when I'm home I open the garage door. Everyone is happy, no squabbling, feather plucking or fighting. My set up is concealed very functional and works great. I live on a busy street and there are lots of crows, blue jays and misc birds making lots of noise to muffle any noise from my hens.

Don't give up, just try to figure out a way around those stupid zoning laws.

 

[NewEveryMorning]

This thread is old, but found this on the Kirksville website in Aug. 2019. There is an exception for hobby and egg production.


(h)

Private stables. A private stable shall be allowed on a lot having an area of more than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet; provided, that it is located not less than one hundred (100) feet from the front line and not less than thirty (30) feet from any side line or rear lot lines. On such lots there shall not be kept more than one (1) horse, pony, mule or cow or twenty-five (25) fowl for each ten thousand (10,000) square feet of lot area in addition to that area required for the dwelling or main building. No fowl shall be housed nearer than one hundred (100) feet to the front lot line or thirty (30) feet from any side or rear lot line of such lots. Exception: Persons wishing to keep chickens for hobby or egg production for personal use on lots of less than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet, may do so under the following restrictions:

(1)

Lots of less than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet may keep no more than eight (8) chickens.

(2)

No chickens may be kept in a front or side yard area. Chickens may be kept only behind the rear line of a house, the line being parallel to the street frontage.

(3)

Chickens must remain in a coop or chicken wire fenced area, with access to shelter and the area must be kept clean to ensure that odors are not noticeable outside of the property line.

(4)

Chickens may be housed no closer than five (5) feet to a side lot line, and no closer than ten (10) feet to the rear lot line.

(5)

No roosters are allowed.