Mangum, OK law

[Pye Wacket]

Are quail permitted? Could be a suitable alternative to backyard chickens, but you would absolutely need to keep them in cages as EVERYTHING eats quail.

I'm pretty sure quail are permitted, with EXACTLY the same rules as chickens. EG minimum pen size of 600 sft and all the setbacks and a coop required, not cages. They also would not allow keeping them in cages all the time. When I find the ordinances again I'll check that too for the exact wording.

Actually it just occurred to me, the way they've written the rules makes it impossible to keep even ONE chicken, because that minimum pen size is regardless of how many chickens (or other barnyard fowl) you have.

Plus ... I want eggs. Not pets. CHICKEN eggs, LOL!

 

[Pye Wacket]

OK that wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It took me a couple of hours to find it the first time.

So I did remember incorrectly about hawks and whatnot, they don't specifically disallow them entirely. That may have been some other municipality.

I'll just post the link to the appropriate part of the ordinance rather than trying to copy paste it in here. I do think part A-2 under section 6-2-8: HOUSING REQUIREMENTS; KEEPING CERTAIN ANIMALS: could be a problem also, as it calls for specific requirements intended to keep manure from becoming a nuisance within 200' of pretty much ANYTHING. But with chickens and deep litter I wasn't worrying about it.

section 6-2-8: HOUSING REQUIREMENTS; KEEPING CERTAIN ANIMALS:

6-2-2: DEFINITIONS:

Also it might be instructive to look at the definition of a nuisance animal. As I interpret this, if ONE PERSON complains that your chickens (even if you just have one) are too noisy, they're gone.

6-2-7: NUISANCE ANIMALS:

I'm guessing they're likely to be a bit more forgiving of dogs than they would be your rooster. It sure looks to me like chickens are allowed in Mangum only technically, but not in fact.

If I've interpreted something incorrectly I would be overjoyed to discover that one CAN keep chickens effectively in Mangum. But it sure looks like they set it up so you can't really keep them, as far as I can tell.

EDIT:

I just realized, while checking for quail (which are probably lumped together under fowl that probably covers peafowl and swans and geese and whatnot) that they specifically separately mention parakeets, but not canaries, parrots, finches, or any of the other of the plethora of pet birds out there. I wonder why!

 

[Ebony Rose]

When you find the ordinance again, please post a link so that we can see it too, please.

 

[Pye Wacket]

When you find the ordinance again, please post a link so that we can see it too, please.

We must have been posting simultaneously, LOL! See my last post.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Looks like chickens are pretty much out of the question, but quail could fit under the Parakeets and other small bird section of the ordinance; basically says 'out of sight, out of mind' and 'don't be a nuisance'.
Quail eggs are delicious.
Their meat is tasty too.
All my extra baby boys,
Find their way into the stew!

 

[CluckerFamily]

It says you need a license permit for dangerous birds. I would call the Clerk to see if chickens are in the category. Then maybe you can get a feel for a few things from that person.

 

[Pye Wacket]

Looks like chickens are pretty much out of the question, but quail could fit under the Parakeets and other small bird section of the ordinance; basically says 'out of sight, out of mind' and 'don't be a nuisance'.
Quail eggs are delicious.
Their meat is tasty too.
All my extra baby boys,
Find their way into the stew!

That was the impression I was getting too. And I think its really weird. My bet is that the Powers That Be wanted to mollify people pushing for chickens in town without really letting them actually HAVE chickens in town. Its really disappointing.

 

[Pye Wacket]

It says you need a license permit for dangerous birds. I would call the Clerk to see if chickens are in the category. Then maybe you can get a feel for a few things from that person.

Chickens are actually a separate category that they specifically mention separate from "fowl" or any other category. They DON'T specifically mention turkeys and ducks etc, so I'm pretty sure everything livestock related other than chickens are lumped together under "fowl". I mean bird type livestock.

I guess I should count myself lucky to have the flexibility to reject a new home based on whether or not I can keep chickens. Maybe Altus will be easier. They say:

• Sec. 4-56. - Fowl.
  
  Fowl may be kept within the city, provided they are kept in a sufficient enclosure that is maintained in accordance with the provisions of section 4-27 and no closer than ten feet to a lot line upon which is situated an inhabited dwelling nor no closer than 40 feet to any dwelling or inhabited building other than the owner's.
  (Code 1980, § 5-68; Ord. No. 2018-01, § XLIV, 1-2-2018)
  

Section 4-27 is anti-cruelty stuff (in Altus) which I interpret to include not being allowed to keep a critter in a cage 24/7. At least there might be a bare possibility of still being able to keep a handful of hens in your backyard. 40' is still pretty heinous but its less than 50'.

SOMEWHERE there was a municipality that set the setback at 25'. Maybe I'd better remember where that was, LOL!

 

[CluckerFamily]

Chickens are actually a separate category that they specifically mention separate from "fowl" or any other category. They DON'T specifically mention turkeys and ducks etc, so I'm pretty sure everything livestock related other than chickens are lumped together under "fowl". I mean bird type livestock.

I guess I should count myself lucky to have the flexibility to reject a new home based on whether or not I can keep chickens. Maybe Altus will be easier. They say:

• Sec. 4-56. - Fowl.
  
  Fowl may be kept within the city, provided they are kept in a sufficient enclosure that is maintained in accordance with the provisions of section 4-27 and no closer than ten feet to a lot line upon which is situated an inhabited dwelling nor no closer than 40 feet to any dwelling or inhabited building other than the owner's.
  (Code 1980, § 5-68; Ord. No. 2018-01, § XLIV, 1-2-2018)

Section 4-27 is anti-cruelty stuff (in Altus) which I interpret to include not being allowed to keep a critter in a cage 24/7. At least there might be a bare possibility of still being able to keep a handful of hens in your backyard. 40' is still pretty heinous but its less than 50'.

SOMEWHERE there was a municipality that set the setback at 25'. Maybe I'd better remember where that was, LOL!

I saw that they were in different categories but if the Clerk is expected to be contacted for dangerous bird permits/licenses, you could get a lot of information from that person. If you don't get answers you can at least see if you get the go around that the ordinances seem to give us.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If I've interpreted something incorrectly I would be overjoyed to discover that one CAN keep chickens effectively in Mangum. But it sure looks like they set it up so you can't really keep them, as far as I can tell.

Thanks for the links. Wow that is ROUGH. So yes, I think you read it correctly: chickens are allowed, but with a requirement of 600 sq ft of housing (coop & run) with 50' setback from any housing. Which is near impossible even with large residential lots.

I guess I should count myself lucky to have the flexibility to reject a new home based on whether or not I can keep chickens. Maybe Altus will be easier. They say:

SOMEWHERE there was a municipality that set the setback at 25'. Maybe I'd better remember where that was, LOL!

Yeah, that 2nd town's ordinances sounds like a much more reasonable option, if it's somewhere you'd want to live. At least 40' from neighbor's houses is more doable, especially if lots are decent size, and no restriction on how close it is to your own house.

I admit I chose the area we live in due to the relatively lax ordinances for animal housing - figured if we were going to move, that I might as well aim to get chickens (and possibly other things). My setback is just 10' from property line. And most people here take that to mean just the coop/barn itself, not the run, as I've seen everything from horse stalls to coops set exactly 10' from the owner's fence.