Chickens Not Allowed, Going to Anyway.

[K9shep]

Mashnoon

I have been checking with neighbors and so far all are ok with it. We just want 2. Problem with family member keeping them is they live 3 hours away so it would be more of a permanent situation. Going to check into the changing the law. It's election year here so we will see.

 

[Clucky42]

Hi, I'm a Rebel chicken owner here in Chandler. It's a M1 to keep chickens in chandler. Hard to believe the city ranks chicken keeping up there with shoplifting, assult and prostitution. We are keeping ours AND working to change the laws. We started by proposing the law to city council, provided them with a heap load of other neighboring city laws as well as benefits of chicken keeping. Next we will get together as many chandler residents for the urban chicken law to show up at the city council meeting once it is placed on their agenda.
Our neighbors our absolutely against us having chickens. They claim they might smell. As all good chicken owners know chickens only smell if you dont clean up their coop, compost or dispose of bedding properly. We love our chickens so much so we would never let them live in dirty conditions. We don't want to smell it either nor do we want to jeopardize ours or the chickens health- so of course we keep things spotless! They have no basis for their problems with the chickens. We have come to termRs with the fact they just hate us. We have bluegrass jams on a regular basis. We have a garden, compost, friends with tattoos. Oh the horror we cramp their subarbanite lifestyle!
We are on a crusade to change the laws in Chandler. Please contact me if you would like to help or we may help you on your crusade in your city.
In the mean time we will hide our chickens in the shed and under the trampoline. They are our pets and we love all 10 of our girls! So much so three of them come in our house to lay their eggs- that's where they are most comfy. When our "mother" hen went broody we thought she was sick (inexperienced chicken owner) we spent $300 at the vet on her. If that's not love for a family pet then I don't know what is. All I know is the City of Chandler prosecutor isnt buying into the "chickens as pets" story. To our nosey pain in the butt neighbor; keeping chickens is the same punishment as assult......

 

[TXchickmum]

Definitely keep petitioning your city/city council for a change in the codes/laws. I haven't any idea why some animals are permitted over others. Ignorance is what drives the ordinances to prohibit chickens. Our town permits chickens (no limit) - hens and roosters. We do have a "noxious odor" and "excessive barking, howling, or crowing" ordinances. The folks with whom I'm acquainted that keep chickens are very meticulous with their property/coops. -no odors or mess. (and since we do live in a suburban setting on a standard lot, we bring our two precious roosters in and let them hang out in the specially chicken-spiffed up utility room for an hour each morning. Our family eats breakfast to a crowing chorus! It's great!)
...and Clucky42, you'd fit in wonderfully in our neighborhood! - bluegrass, gardening, composting, and chickens - now THAT is fabulous!!! (My next door neighbor hosts an organic food coop, we both have herb/veggie gardens, and also chickens! Everyone gets along and respects everyone else's right to do his/her thing. -'tis how it should be.)

 

[BrekanArts]

Actually you can have chickens in Chandler, AZ. Not that I would be doing just that of course.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chandler-arizona-chicken-ordinance

Re-read that post Phlimm. It is ILLEGAL in the City of Chandler to have chickens on properties smaller than 33000 sf. The property MUST be zoned agrarian. The main entry in the post chandler-arizona-chicken-ordinance dose not cite the entire law but only glosses the section of the zoning where it is permissible (agrarian residential). 80% of the residences in Chandler CANNOT have backyard chickens legally. I kept mine in the backyard for over six months before the City of Chandler caught wind and threatened animal control would be called to seize the hens and the city would cite me for a zoning violation.


So I have until this Friday to comply. What's crazy is I buy a house assuming I have certain property rights, but I can't keep chickens. According to the letter of the law, in the same residence I can't keep a hutch of rabbits either. Sure, I might try to get away with a pet bunny kept inside the garage (gross) or on the patio, but rabbits also fall into the legal definition of "livestock" in the Chandler City Code. I guess the zoning officer has to discern what a common household pet is.

I'd hate for them to learn about my 3 year old Bengal Cat, which although it's technically a domestic, the City refers to it as a "exotic hybrid." My neigbor frantically came by when he got out one day. He's a housecat with spots for crying out loud! But she's from India and I guess the spots scared her. He is a 20lbs cat, not a tiger by any means.... LOL

On top of that, I can barely keep a dog. I have a beagle and the same next door neighbor called the city and the county on me because she howls while Im at work. Apparently, my neighbor is a pain in the @55 and I've learned keeping pets in Chandler, Arizona is almost as difficult as in NYC.

The only pet that hasn't raised ire with the Chandler community is my tropical freshwater fish.

So I'm digging out a Tilapia pond in the backyard.

 

[BrekanArts]

Hi, I'm a Rebel chicken owner here in Chandler. It's a M1 to keep chickens in chandler. Hard to believe the city ranks chicken keeping up there with shoplifting, assult and prostitution.... All I know is the City of Chandler prosecutor isnt buying into the "chickens as pets" story. To our nosey pain in the butt neighbor; keeping chickens is the same punishment as assult......

Man! I feel that accusation personally! LOL We must live on the same block.

What's really ironic, is these same goosestepping zoning Nazi's want us to believe they're all about "diversity and tolerance" but when they catch a glimpse of self-sustanance and individuality, it scares the crap out of them.

Subconciously, you're chickens and garden and entire individualist lifesyle are a threat to your neighbors cozy way of life. A little voice echos in the recesses of their shallow minds saying "people in America actually can survive without corporate culture." This disturbs the hell out of them. They resent you for not "playing the game". So, they feel compelled to drag you into the game. Vindication comes in knowing they're "following the law". But in truth, it's the mere sight of your sustainabliity and individuality that afronts their sense of plurality and collective social norms. Thus, they feel moral superiority in crushing your sense of freedom.

Afterall, if they assume, by educational and commercial conditioning, that their way of life is "the perfection of the pursuit of happiness", why shouldn't you? Aren't you American? You must stand corrected, if you want to stand with Us...

The bottom line is, kudos to you for getting involved. Go change the laws. Run for City Council. I'm a LD commitee person, I'd back you.

That's the arrogant, neophite mentality driving corporate elitism and corporate socialism in the United States.

 

[BrekanArts]

Definitely keep petitioning your city/city council for a change in the codes/laws. I haven't any idea why some animals are permitted over others. Ignorance is what drives the ordinances to prohibit chickens.

No, it's not ignorance creating these laws. These laws are well though out by greedy, self-centered people. Consider that commercial chicken farms here in Arizona back in the 70's and 80's lobbied the city planners and city council members hard for these laws. The main reason these droconic zoning laws exist is they are relics of cronyism of a bygone era. Ironcially, the two municipalities that prohibit backyard chickens (Chandler and Glendale, Arizona) were also host to two big commercial egg farms in the state. We live in Arizona, keeping a small flock of a half dozen hens isn't affecting anybody but the commercial egg vendors. The City of Chandler is notorious for favoring commercial business over individual rights.

The ones who admit the driver of the laws are commercial, claim the laws were enacted as a precaution to guard the commercial flocks against disease from private chicken owners.

If some yahoo can race an ostrich down Arizona Avenue, I should have no issue keeping a small flock of chickens. The law is absolutely rubbish.

But apparently, to keep business in Chandler, the city has opted to relegate private chicken oto the same legal status as theives and whores.

 

[TXchickmum]

Obviously, you are far more familiar with your local situation and city/state government. I cannot speak for that area, for I haven't any knowledge nor familiarity. I do know many folks (when they find out someone has chickens) assume that they must keep a smelly, nasty property. Most fowl owners are conscientious, thus the assumption is erroneous. A lot of folks simply don't know that chickens aren't synonymous with filth because they've never been around them - personally. That's simply the context of the "ignorance" reference. Some municipalities may have nefarious motives. Others do not. -and, there are a good many which will happily work with the public to address concerns and amend current ordinances per the citizen's petitions.

 

[chicksstophere]

It would seem to me chickens could be considered pets you keep outdoors....some people have Aviarys for Birds....arent chickens considered Birds?

 

[chicksstophere]

People should get a life and stop worrying about what their neighbors are doing.....I have been against Homeowners Associations for years...it is unAmerican....and we should be able to do what we want on our own property!!! After all we are paying for it!

 

[WaterFowl209]

Chicken laws need to change with the times, each day more and more are finding it common to keep chickens as pets, where I live I can only have 6 hens no rooster chickens, so I'm getting some AA Serams and ring neck pheasant eggs to hatch.