Johnson City TN :(

[heiditam]

Well, the whole thing is super confusing--My husband was told a few months ago that JC was making it legal to have 6 chickens in the city. The info came from a council meeting where they stated that was the plan. Then, at the next meeting, they tabled that...several meetings during the whole debating, and things are still not clear. There is NO official ordinance. What IS on the books...

You call an inspector, they come to your house, and if the coop is atleast 1000 ft from neighbors(we can meet this req), they will approve you if they see fit. NOTHING is said about the flock size. 

This stresses me out. I will do this legally, so I guess I have to call up the city and have them out before my girls arrive. But there are a few things I am worried about...

1. my husband built a great coop. Its functional and safe and I can keep it clean. But what if the inspector disapproves?

2. what if the inspector says I can have only 2 or 4? I really want atleast 6. Would love more someday.  

I just feel that it is SO subjective.  

I just want to cry.

Looks like we have a local group(C.O.O.P), and I will get involved, but I really want to get started on my hen raising.  

 

[lightchick]

I'd just ask and see what happens. I wouldn't worry too much. Hope the best for you and your future chickies!

 

[heiditam]

I feel better about it now-we actually have quite a few city pals with chickens it turns out and I feel better after getting some more info about it. We have a great group I plan on keeping up with(c.o.o.p). back in the day chickens roamed neighborhoods! Right!?

 

[lightchick]

Good luck! It's very fun having chickens! They are amazing pets!

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

We have a farm that sets half in the city and half in the county. We raise rare breed chickens mostly for backyard enthusiasts and we were so glad Johnson City allowed hens to be in the city.

 

[heiditam]

We have a farm that sets half in the city and half in the county. We raise rare breed chickens mostly for backyard enthusiasts and we were so glad Johnson City allowed hens to be in the city.

Hello! I checked out your site a few times-you have some gorgeous breeds!

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

We know of a family that sits smack dab in the tree streets and they have chickens and have no problems from the city. We all know how particular the tree street residents are.

 

[heiditam]

We know of a family that sits smack dab in the tree streets and they have chickens and have no problems from the city. We all know how particular the tree street residents are.

True. I would love to see a return to the old days when having chickens was no big deal. Really fun to hear about some on the tree streets.

I called the city a while back, and the man I spoke with was kind of negative. He told me I needed to get my neighbors to agree, and really tried to discourage me...I think he even mentioned salmonella, lol. :rolleyes Anyhow, I was like, thanks for the tips... :rolleyes.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

People who don't know just don't understand all of the advantages of chickens and yes they can have hazards also. In my opinion the advantages way outweigh the negatives. It has been proven that by feeding your scraps to your chickens the amount of waste going in to the landfill for a city drops drastically.