Change Ordinance in Chicago Heights, IL

[AdaliaStark]

I’d def have the coop raised up a couple feet so you can max out their space! I do that with my urban coop and it added 15ish ft to the run

I would definitely raise it up as much as I can within the maximum 6ft height restriction but that would depend entirely on the height of whatever coop I go with.

That one foot high of space under the coop seems like a good idea until the hens choose to lay their eggs under there. It's no fun fishing out potentially bad eggs with a gravel rake because someone made a "secret" nest. If you put hardware cloth around the bottom of the coop to the ground to enclose that area, put it in a picture frame or something to make the panels removable so you can fetch out injured/sick chickens or eggs if/when needed. They will always find the hardest to access spot and that's where they'll be.

Honestly, I'd consider avoiding the under coop space and get less chickens. Bantam vs. Standard - if you're concerned about egg production I'd suggest white leghorns - maximum size eggs every day with a minimum hen body size, but not quite as small as bantams. Bantams lay smaller eggs than standard large fowl chickens, and they may not lay as often. White leghorns are quite a bit smaller compared to heritage breed chickens (both heritage breeds and white leghorns are large fowl chickens). Only downside is I've found White Leghorns can bully/feather eat quite a bit the non-white-leghorn chickens, so a mixed flock may not be the best choice, but it may just be my individuals.

Also consider quail instead, as they can provide both eggs and meat with rapid turnaround, and do well inside dwellings or sheds with the proper setup.

I will keep that in mind, about making at one least on the panels on the bottom removable! That one foot raised up off the ground is the minimum allowed.

These chickens would be for egg production, so I would be interested in breeds that maximize that. I had seen that Bantams lay smaller eggs, less often. I would be fine with keeping fewer chickens if I went with a larger breed of chicken, as that would likely mean more eggs more often so I wouldn't need as many chickens then.

Unfortunately I don't believe quails are allowed in the ordinance due to how it specifies hens. Nor are we allowed to slaughter the hens on the licensed premises, so I would assume that means we can't even have them for meat. We also aren't allowed to breed the hens or sell the eggs, excrement or any other byproduct of the licensed activity as per the ordinance. So we can basically only have the chickens for personal non-commercial purposes only or as pets.

 

[AdaliaStark]

So I did send an email on Friday to the Clerk asking if a coop with a small attached run could detract from the amount of space available for the 4x8 run that we are allowed to have, I haven't gotten a reply yet.

The reason I asked this question is because I've noticed that there a lot of DIY coop plans that do include a small run attached to the coop, obviously not all coop plans have that, but I wasn't sure if that would detract from the 4x8 run that we are allowed to have.

 

[AdaliaStark]

I have found some plans during my days off, for separate coop and run that match the dimensions I'm allowed.

I do still like the coops with a small attached run included, but as I'm still waiting for an answer back from the city clerk I figured it made sense for me to pivot to separate coop and separate run plans.

It is kinda hard though for me to find plans on Etsy(where I'm looking for the moment) that match the coop dimensions while also being walk-in coops.

 

[saysfaa]

...

My parents feel that the dimensions of the coop and enclosed feeding/grazing area are so small in order to discourage people as much as possible from actually getting chickens.

That and the other requirements - I think so too. $100 license every year? And up to $750 per day penalty for any violation? Wow

Solid roof and four solid sides, including doors yet adequate ventilation. How do you do that? I think your best option is a cupola if it wouldn't count toward the height - if you ask if it counts, draw up the prettiest design you can to show them as you ask. I would design it small - in scale with the building. If small, then maybe two of them. There are some very attractive barns with cupolas to use for inspiration. Second best might be a ridge vent. Either way, you need eave vents. Maybe also floor vents.

I thought maybe one could put it next to a garage and borrow some space there but it requires minimum of 5' from any structure except the house and further from the house.

It does allow a chicken tractor - without saying what that has to be other than mobile and for "free ranging." And looking attractive. You might "free range" them daily beside the coop or run. Be careful though, with the design and the use so as to not encourage them to close the loophole.

 

[saysfaa]

...It is kinda hard though for me to find plans on Etsy(where I'm looking for the moment) that match the coop dimensions while also being walk-in coops.

You can make your own.

It is a bit time consuming the first time as you look up construction vocabulary and details of how to build and such but it is very doable. I found using lots of graph paper to draw out details in larger scale and different angles helpful.

 

[AdaliaStark]

You can make your own.

It is a bit time consuming the first time as you look up construction vocabulary and details of how to build and such but it is very doable. I found using lots of graph paper to draw out details in larger scale and different angles helpful.

I do think that making my own will be cheaper than buying a prefab, plus I've seen in my time exploring the site that people are pretty negative over prefabs due to the companies lying about how many chickens will fit and just not being very well constructed.

I've got a friend that does woodworking and who is willing to help me build the coop and the run. I thinking that I just need to not use plans, for the coop at least, unless I can get lucky and find something that will be a walk-in while still being with the dimensions I'm allowed.

 

[AdaliaStark]

That and the other requirements - I think so too. $100 license every year? And up to $750 per day penalty for any violation? Wow

Solid roof and four solid sides, including doors yet adequate ventilation. How do you do that? I think your best option is a cupola if it wouldn't count toward the height - if you ask if it counts, draw up the prettiest design you can to show them as you ask. I would design it small - in scale with the building. If small, then maybe two of them. There are some very attractive barns with cupolas to use for inspiration. Second best might be a ridge vent. Either way, you need eave vents. Maybe also floor vents.

I thought maybe one could put it next to a garage and borrow some space there but it requires minimum of 5' from any structure except the house and further from the house.

It does allow a chicken tractor - without saying what that has to be other than mobile and for "free ranging." And looking attractive. You might "free range" them daily beside the coop or run. Be careful though, with the design and the use so as to not encourage them to close the loophole.

It wouldn't surprise me too be honest if that is the case, that they're trying to discourage us but at the same time, someone who is determined to have chickens will find a way to make the restrictions within the ordinance work in my opinion. Considering that I live in a kinda poor area, that is a huge per day penalty! Like almost 1 entire biweekly paycheck for me.

I will definitely keep in mind what you've said about ventilation! I would very likely need to ask if the cupola would count towards the height. Considering that the last few winters haven't seen too much snow but lots of *really* cold days, like single digit to negative temps back to back, I would probably need to look into winterizing the coop? or would that not be a huge concern if the coop is well built?

If I don't have a reply to my email by my days off later this week, then I will just go over to city hall, find the clerks office and ask about the cupola, plus the topics in my email alongside a question I had only just recently thought of concerning the fact that we can't slaughter the chickens on the licensed premises and basically what to do about old birds; like could they be slaughtered off premises somehow or do they just have to be allowed to die of old age, as which point they're probably not even good for meat?

My thinking was to start with the coop and run, see how the chickens do with that before I look into adding the chicken tractor also. I definitely don't wanna do anything that will cause them to close the loop hole.

 

[saysfaa]

Winterizing the coop in your climate would be ensuring enough ventilation. They wear down coats which are very, very warm - warm enough to keep their unfeathered feet and combs warm too, as long as they are dry. The ventilation is so important because they generate so much moisture through breathing and such (more for their size than mammals do); it needs to be carried away by airflow.

 

[FunClucks]

Check out the article at the link for an alternative to a cupola roof. This one is very efficient and if I remember the author is in the mountains of North Carolina, so similar weather to what you see I'm thinking.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

 

[AdaliaStark]

Winterizing the coop in your climate would be ensuring enough ventilation. They wear down coats which are very, very warm - warm enough to keep their unfeathered feet and combs warm too, as long as they are dry. The ventilation is so important because they generate so much moisture through breathing and such (more for their size than mammals do); it needs to be carried away by airflow.

Okay! That is very useful! Thank you so much!