Are chickens considered livestock?

sfisher

Songster
12 Years
Jan 20, 2008
110
0
129
Myrtle Beach
Just heard today that, the bylaws of my neighberhood, dont allow livestock. I wonder if fowl is considered livestock. What do you think?
 
nope rabbits and chickens are poultry here. we fought our town ordinances and they have to allow us 12 layers in town and had to get a poultry permit. by law with the ordinace already in place legally they couldn't deny us but they sure did put the limits on it to go with it. took alot to do it but they couldn't deny us for food to feed our family.

of course my neighbers caused us so much grief i raise them outside of town at a friends now. if u use they r for pets they can and will deny it and make u get rid of them. check see if there is any ordinaces for chickens and fowls. i was lucky mine already had one in place but some places don't. i only had to fight half the battle on mine.
 
A representative from the Homeowner's Association where I live came to my home today and told me they could shut off my water if I did not remove the Serama chickens (which are technically exotic birds, such as a parrot I would think) from my property. I have never had a complaint before this. I have owned this property for over twelve years, and nobody on this cul de sac obeys the rules 100%. We have new neighbors who yell constantly at their (5) small dogs to come in the house. They do not walk them and they are allowed off leash regardless of their property not being fenced. I believe they filed a complaint the day after their dog was hit and killed by a car because they now have 4 dogs instead of 5 (which is against the rules). I would think that the right to drinking water would supercede a rule about "livestock", which was put in place to make the neighborhood more aesthetically pleasing. I keep the roosters inside at night so they do not wake my neighbors. There is much, much more obnoxious noise coming from next door than my small property and birds.
 
It all depends on where you live. The town my mother lives in considered them livestock, and that meant she had to have 3 acres to own chickens. Somebody worked towards changing the law, and now my mother has chickens.

As for the Home Owners Association... You'd have to read the contract... no matter the size, you still own a chicken. That's the biggest reason I'd never live where I had to sign an agreement to live in the neighborhood. I like not having neighbors that I can see in the summer. I do have neighbors, and nobody in my neighborhood has less than an acre, but I'd love to have my house smack in the middle of 10 acres and nobody around.
 
A representative from the Homeowner's Association where I live came to my home today and told me they could shut off my water if I did not remove the Serama chickens (which are technically exotic birds, such as a parrot I would think) from my property. I have never had a complaint before this. I have owned this property for over twelve years, and nobody on this cul de sac obeys the rules 100%. We have new neighbors who yell constantly at their (5) small dogs to come in the house. They do not walk them and they are allowed off leash regardless of their property not being fenced. I believe they filed a complaint the day after their dog was hit and killed by a car because they now have 4 dogs instead of 5 (which is against the rules). I would think that the right to drinking water would supercede a rule about "livestock", which was put in place to make the neighborhood more aesthetically pleasing. I keep the roosters inside at night so they do not wake my neighbors. There is much, much more obnoxious noise coming from next door than my small property and birds.

Wait, cut off your water? Do you have a shared well? That doesn't sound right at all, even if you are in violation of covenants. But, Seramas are chickens and if there is a covenant against poultry, you are in violation, no question. You can point to others all day long (trust me, I get it, dog owners who let dogs roam even in the country really torque me). I'd contact the county where you are and see if they have a right to cut off your water-that does NOT sound right. Never heard that. They can cite you, they can fine you, they can put a lien on your house until you pay it, but cut off your water???? Nah. I'd challenge that one. This heavy-handed attitude is why I really don't like the usual type of people who love to jump into HOA officer positions-they love to play king over a kingdom and be busybodies.

And if they enforce that on you, which they can (but cut off water? NO) file complaints about others in violation. It's what's right. EVERYONE should be cited and held to covenants, not just you because you have chickens.
 
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