Consolidated Kansas

[Prairie Fleur]

@chicken danz if you ever get pics of them I'd love to see them. I've been looking for a dog for my folks since theirs died and maybe I can get them convinced that a Pyr would be a good option.

 

[chicken danz]

I have a couple pictures on my phone but need to transfer them to the computer. Just hard to find the time.

 

[French Creek Farm]

Hi! I am looking for some black mottled hens for a project. Anyone have any?

 

[Terence McIff]

HELP! I was at the Planning Commission meeting Monday night (June 26, 2017) in Olathe where the new UDO ordinances were being put up for a vote. I was there because of a change in the ordinances regarding chickens. I was able to postpone the vote for two weeks so that we could look at whether the wording and limits are optimal. If anyone from Olathe gets this let me know what you think and how it would affect you.

The proposed revision adds the following: "Four (4) chickens per acre (no roosters)". It also states that this is by special permit if less than 3 acres and by right if greater than 3 acres.

The following explanation has been given: "To respond to an increase in property owners request to have chickens on their property Staff has included language to allow up four (4) chickens per acre. Chickens are currently allowed by right on a property three (3) acres or more and with a special use permit for properties under three (3) acres. The proposed update simply puts a threshold on the amount of chickens allowed per acre.

In addition the changes to the UDO include bird houses, dog houses, chicken coops, dog kennels, rabbit hutches, bee hives and other animal enclosures allowed only in the rear yard. Minimum set back of 6 feet from property line and a minimum set back of 40 feet from the nearest neighboring dwelling unit. Previously the placement of a coop was could be in any yard including side.

In many ways this is an improvement because it specifies clearly the rights and permissions. I would like to have greater clarity especially for smaller lots than 1 acre. Could we request to have something like one chicken per 1/6 acre which would allow 6 chickens per acre and allow lots smaller than 1 acre to have chickens. No - the proposed changes do not say how small a lot before no chickens are allowed but this would prevent the UDO from being interpreted as restricting chickens to lots greater than 1 acre.

Is the 3 acre threshold for having to have a permit appropriate for chickens ? or could we have that lowered to 1 or 2 acres. Then those lots could also have chickens "by right" rather than having them get a permit. Are 4 chickens per acre enough? How many of you have at least one acre? I have roosters but am on 9 acres. I would like to allow roosters as does Lenexa and Overland Park.

Please let me know soon. I will be working with Olathe Planning to review this before the next meeting on Monday the 10th of July. This will then go before the City Council in August.

Terry

 

[Trish44]

I don't live in the city limits anywhere & haven't for a very long time. However, just listening to what others have said I don't know of anywhere within the city limits of a town of any size where roosters are allowed. In Wichita you can have 3 hens in the city just on a regular lot & 12 with a permit, so there is nothing about acreage in their policies if that helps any. I just looked up the ruling for Wichita & I have friends who live there with chickens. They used to allow 5 but lowered the limit without a permit awhile back. I personally think the wording would be better if just so many chickens were allowed period without a permit & no mention of acreage & then so many with a permit. The permit in Wichita is $25 a year.

 

[chicken danz]

@Prairie Fleur here are the pups I still have but I believe they are all spoken for now unless someone changes their mind.

 

[chicken danz]

Hi! I am looking for some black mottled hens for a project. Anyone have any?

I may have one available who is still a pullet but is laying. She doesn't have great spots yet. She will spot up more once she molts the first time. Also may have a couple of young ones that would be old enough to sex.

 

[chicken danz]

HELP! I was at the Planning Commission meeting Monday night (June 26, 2017) in Olathe where the new UDO ordinances were being put up for a vote. I was there because of a change in the ordinances regarding chickens. I was able to postpone the vote for two weeks so that we could look at whether the wording and limits are optimal. If anyone from Olathe gets this let me know what you think and how it would affect you.

I think the acreage thing is overkill. I can see having limits to how far the coop can be to the neighbors yards and having it required to be in the back yard. I mean my son lives in Olathe as well as some good friends and most people don't have acres in Olathe. I've never seen a municipality that requires so much land space per bird. It's not uncommon for a city to have requirements for not allowing a rooster. And for most municipalities the number of chickens they are allowed is anywhere from 4 to 12 without a special permit. I personally think that having to pay for a permit is a way for towns to line their pockets. It doesn't protect the neighbors or make any difference in the way the chickens are housed and cared for. Without a rooster there should be no noise complaints. Some municipalities require neighbors on each side of the chicken owner to agree to them having chickens. My take on that is that if neighbors are worried about unsightly coops etc that a privacy fence could be required instead. A good number of the newer housing areas in Olathe have an HOA that will have rules prohibiting chickens so why in general should the entire community have such strict outlines?
I think it is time for most of these towns to see that people want to get back to being more self sufficient. And that they care about the quality of food that is being fed to their families. Just because they live within the confines of a city limit they shouldn't be limited to not providing their own food. The same would apply to putting in a home veggie garden.
If you are really interested in the good of the community I would certainly allow for people to own at least a limited number of chicks or hens.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

@Prairie Fleur here are the pups I still have but I believe they are all spoken for now unless someone changes their mind.

Danz, those are beautiful pups!! I'm still working on convincing my parents that they need one. Lol I'm making progress with my Mom. My Dad is still dealing with the loss of his beloved GSD so he's not that convinced yet. If you end up not getting them all sold let me know.

 

[chicken danz]

Progress here has been complicated by way too much rain. The farmers say we needed it but when it comes down so fast and hard most of it runs off. It's made my dug up sewer line project a really muddy mess. The driveway was also dug up so I can't get into the house without a pound of mud on each shoe.
Several days ago the cats had climbed the tree where the Baltimore Orioles have nested every year since I've lived here. They managed to kill both parents and one of the two babies. I watched carefully for a full day to be sure that no parents weren't still alive and the remaining baby was crying all day long. I finally got the farm truck and put my 10 foot step ladder on the back and cut off the end of the limb where the nest was. The cats had torn it up pretty good as well. So I rescued the one baby and kept it alive on meal worms and grogel for a couple days until I could get some hand fed baby bird food. It is doing well and has really changed in just a few days. It has learned to fly which it couldn't when I rescued it. It had fuzz on it's head and the fuzz is almost all gone now. It likes to sit on my hand to eat but the last couple days wants to fly up and sit on my shoulder. It's amazing how fast it learned I am the creature that is feeding it. It eats really often but even if it just had a full meal if I walk by it it yells for food. It doesn't do that when someone else walks by. Thank heavens when it gets dark it sleeps and quit eating until daylight. He is acting like a built in alarm clock though because as soon as it's light he starts crying for his breakfast.
I spent the entire afternoon yesterday cleaning out the brooder house. It was having problems due to the high humidity. Hopefully I've got it balanced again. I need to move a some more birds out there.
I shut down incubator #2 and am now just hatching peafowl. Kind of a relief to only have one incubator to care for. I have a couple of goose eggs that are still waiting to hatch but that is it.