does anybody keep laying hens in Greece,NY? (suburb of Rochester,NY)

[pittising]

Seems like I'm not the only one wondering about keeping laying hens...

I was just going to ask same thing only for a suburban neighborhood in Greece,NY. - I'm moving there in 2 months and would love to start a small coop of 3 hens..

I've tried emailing the Greece local govt. department/folks selling chickens locally/ folks building coops locally/ folks even selling chickens on Craigslist that are located in Greece...There was even an article in the Greece Post 2 years ago about keeping backyard chickens...

But - I've gotten crickets for response....nada....

I know you can keep chickens in the city area - (rochester) - you just have to pay for a permit of like $40 a year ...but I'm pretty certain that just covers the City area...and not the suburban areas..

so no idea about Greece itself..

anybody? Bueller?

thanks for any advice!
amanda

 

[pittising]

ok...for those wondering or at least wanting to play along - I'm moving ahead on my own - I contacted Town of Greece and got all kinds of fun paperwork to fill out....(most of it over my head....the environment assessment form....yikes! - and is this an area variance or a use variance or a special use permit? - no idea....but plugging away at it....) - folks I talked to at Town of Greece were very helpful and nice about it - I appreciated that....

("Oh no - crazy chicken lady coming!!").....nope - very polite with only slight raised eyebrow.

I'm having friends help me figure the paperwork out...hit/miss/asking questions....rinse/repeat...than I'll take the paperwork down to the town hall and cross fingers I filled it out correctly.

anyhow - it'll cost me about $140 to file paperwork and make an appointment to be on the agenda of Town of Greece board meeting - (they notify my new neighbors regarding me wanting a coop and 3 hens) - they even have a notary on hand at Town of Greece...my paperwork needs that also.
I also have to have a current survey of my new home property (it's my family home I"m inheriting...so I have the original plot plan - so hoping that will do)

I've enlisted the help of the Carolina Coop folks (who have opened a shop a few towns over from me in Manchester,NY) - nice folks and VERY informative (I'm intrigued at the deep litter cleaning system they offer) - anyhow they have offered to come along and do a presentation/take questions from folks who might want more information regarding keeping chickens
(chicken keeping is totally new to me - I've read books but haven't actually done it - but I'm VERY much into the compost/fertilizer/gardening aspect of the chicken idea - I've been doing backyard raised vegetable bed gardening for years - and moving into a new home - reading up on it - I believe chickens are a good match for this!)

This is also an interesting time in Rochester area regarding this idea - town of Naples is under close watch regarding keeping chickens in their village.

(do a google search on Backyard Chicken Debate in Naples - Rochester...and read away!)

I'm amused - there's actually a woman on there protesting the chickens cause "if you start with chickens, there is really no way to stop the pigs,the cows."

ok...now chickens sound like a gateway drug....ha

anyhow - there you have it - still filling out paperwork and planning on going ahead with this.

If I get the paperwork correct and in right order - I need to have it filled by next week to be on the Feb Town meeting agenda.

wish me luck!

amanda

 

[pittising]

for anybody still reading...

Town of Greece said I had to get a NEW survey of my property done ($340) - and filed the zoning ordinance thingee w/the Town of Greece last Tuesday ($140) - so missed the last deadline but made the next one.

interesting that the lady told me to ask for the biggest hen house/coop (4 X 10) and the most chickens I could possibly want (reality says 4) - she said it's better to go big and have them cut back if need be.

I really onlly wanted 3....but took her advice.

also interesting that she knew exactly how far I could keep a coop from the house....(so somebody HAS to have had them before I think - or at least has asked in past.....)

so I'm now on the the Town Meeting scheduale for Feb 19th.

they are sending written notices of my chicken requests to my nearby neighbors (no idea how many doors they go from me - but I back up to a school yard and 2 soccer fields - so realistically - I think they will only go to left/right of me)

I know the neighbor to the left has no problem....but since I haven't even moved into the house yet (next Saturday is moving day) - I don't know any of the neighbors yet - so this will be a strange way for them to meet me.

I also plan on bringing the Carolina Coop representative with me (nice folks - very helpful) in case they have any questions regarding chickens that me as a newbie cannot answer.

soooo....if anybody reading this happens to live in Greece,NY...and you may....may....just happen to keep illegal chickens or are thinking of getting your own... - feel free to come to the meeting and see how it turns out.

I have no idea how it will play out - but I've already spent $400 on hoped for birdies - so I'll keep going!
I'm stubborn that way.

toodles
amanda

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It seems very odd you'd need a new survey of property. The town has all records of your property as far back as anyone could ever go. In my neck of the woods if we need the property lines we just go to the town clerks records and pay the dollar to photocopy the deed with related survey map.

The idea you need to file proper forms prior to speaking to the council board fair but $140 payment makes you wonder how free democracy is. I'm simply gobsmacked you've been told to shell out $500 just to be heard at a council meeting regarding your request to keep a few chickens! Either they have an existing ordinance or not. If not then you can keep them. As simple and free as that. You ask the question if you can keep chickens, they look at the existing codes and say yes or no and if yes what restrictions apply.

Small rant there but I seriously think your new town is messing with you.

 

[pittising]

They insisted...the most recent one was done in 1968.

going a little further into it - I'm moving back into my family home (inheritng it) - we had the property built in 1968.....I had theoriginal plot survey and apparantly 40 years later - they said I wanted a new one..

I can't say I blame them - a lot can happen in 40 years....and....yeah - I wasn't thrilled....but I figure - if I don't get my chickens - I'll probably end up selling in 3 years and move back to the city (Rochester) where chickens are allowed....and a new survey will come in handy anyhow.

thanks for inquiry!

me

 

[pittising]

just got back from zoning meeting - 2 neighbors showed up to complain about the idea of chickens in their neighborhood.

1. - they will attract dogs in the school yard behind the house and his own dogs will bark at them
2 - they will start a trend - everybody will want chickens - and property values will go down (or something like that)

interesting way to meet my new neighbors (I've only been in house 2 weeks) - but they were polite about it.

anyhow - I brought a representative/owner of the Carolina Chicken Coop company with me - she answered ALL the questions and was spot on.

now we go back again in March and I ahve to somehow prove to teh Greece Town Zoning board - that my property (although not zoned for farming and not large) - can support 3 or 4 chickens in a coop w/run attached.

for them - it's only a hobby - so they don't see why I want them - don't see a need - and don't really want to start something crazy.

one interesting side note - the only reason I think they are delaying decision til next meeting - the secretary piped up that at least 1 person calls a week inquiring about keeping chickens - and the coop rep (WoNDERFUL and INFORMED LADY!) - said she was going to gather info from other towns that have "changed their minds on keeping chickens" and show them the numbers/profits/whatever...

I believe they do not want to set a precident...but they realize that other folks will be inquiring at some point - so they have to find out more....I was pleased they were at least open minded on the idea...

(wouldn't hurt them at all to realize they could make some money on this if they just allowed them.)

anyhow - I'm not in love w/this house in Greece - I inherited it - I could easily sell it in a few years and move back to the city of Rochester (where chickens are allowed on dinky properties...sheessh)

evil me is tempted to sell it cheap just so I can lower the property values on the weenie neighbors.

ha.

anyhow - thought I'd share.

me

 

[pittising]

ok...just put an ad on Craigslist trying to lure out any backyard wanna be chicken owners to come and speak up at the next zoning meeting.

I'm not asking for undercover chicken folks to reveal themselves...just asking for folks who would like to have chickens in their backyard to show up and be counted.

any suggestions on what forums/groups/other folks I should contact to get the word out?

I've already written the greece post and now put an ad on Craigslist.

I thought I'd hit up some vegetarian type groceries - go Green kinda folks - but not sure who to contact.

I am not a facebook person...so trying old fashioned method - word of mouth.

any suggestions?

I'm looking for folks in Greece,NY who might want to legally keep a few chickens in their back yards....if they show up and show some support - they might be swayed a bit.

at least that's my thinkng.

me

 

[pittising]

back from the zoning meeting.

Chicken Denial...the biggest complaint they had was that chicken poo would not be picked up , lots of it, it smells, detrimental to the existing neighborhood, total chaos, chicken domination over mankind, end of the world as we know it.

or something like that....I kinda stopped listening after the 20th time they mentioned chicken waste.

anyhow - fortunately - I only have to put in 1 year here in Greece,NY than I can sell it and move back to the city of Rochester,NY

where they are ok w/chickens and sustainable gardening.

anyhow - thought I'd share...

It was a rahter pricey lesson - but met a bunch of interesting folks on the way.

If you ever get the opportunity - Carolina Coops was of valuable assistance to me and I look forward to hopefully next year purchasing one of their townhouse coops!

toodles
amanda

 

[wynterstail]

Amanda, I've been reading your thread with interest because I've wanted to bring in some hens and I'm in Greece (near Dewey and Stone). So...I'm inclined to bring them in under the radar. What neighborhood in greece is the house?

 

[pittising]

I live currently at 237 Ledgewood Drive 14615 - it's off Black Walnut...I back up to Buckman Heights Elementary - I even have fencing all around my property w/trees and such.

and I can tell you it was a definite NO WAY when I went up to the zoning board... - paid the submission fee - and went w/a new plot survey and with a Carolina coop expert like Gnan who knew and could answer everything there was to ask.

my neighbors were concerned about dogs barking and how it would look....one even said she might change her mind later.

I'll confess I don't know my neighbors at all - so that was a HUGE mistake on my part - it just never occurred to me anybody would object.

the concerns w/the zoning board were mostly that the chicken poo would be hazardous to the area....they also didn't think my property was large enough to hold a coop.

frankly it was a pretty darn stupid....Van Putte is on the zoning board and he runs a gardening business....and a the coop I was looking at was designed for apartment buildings so it was good size.

anyhow - I did have TONS of support from folks I didn't know - and several folks living in Greece already had them and just had really cool neighbors.

keep em hidden!

best of luck to you!

amanda