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Niffer0404

Niffer0404

In the Brooder
5 Years
May 23, 2014
17
0
22
Hi there! My name is Jenn. Super excited about HOPEFULLY becoming a momma to 6 babies. We live in the country and rent a house. I'm so nervous about asking to have chickens. I want to keep them for eggs and to share them with the local community. I want to know where my family's food is coming from. Any pointers on proposing the idea to our land lord are welcomed. We have been very fortunate and she has let us put on a garden. The thing that worries me the most would be any odor from chicken manure, which I plan on composting for the garden.
 
Welcome to the forum.

I wish you luck.

I think I would build a coop with enclosed run and not say much about it. Honestly.

People are funny about chickens and think they are dirty and smelly. They have no idea that they don't have to be icky. It is more an issue about you building something that can be easily cleaned and upkeep is easy too. Limit the number of chickens. No roosters so that neighbors do not complain. My neighbors in San Jose California all had chickens and hardly nobody knew. I did because I house sat for the neighbors. The chickens were in cute coops and no one was the wiser about it.

I think when people think about keeping chickens they imagine some huge commercial chicken farm with small cages and bad smells. My coops are up a little higher because I am basically lazy and I hate stooping to clean. I have a vinyl floor on the bottom of the coop and I can clean it in about 2 minutes. I use hay in the nest box.

If you feel compelled to ask permission - be prepared.
Have a plan
Where will they live
where will they roam
enclosed run or free ranging
where will you put the waste? Compost pile or what -

Have answers so that you have a well organized presentation.
Will you raise chicks indoors - I raise mine in the laundry room but the first batch I raised in my son's bathroom.
Landlords are concerned about damage. Chicken will eat the grass down the to dirt in a coop you don't move daily.
Have a plan and work it. Be honest with yourself about how you will clean up after them and care for them and how often/

Case in point. My cousin moved her family in with me because her husband committed a horrible crime .....
She is kind of lazy had 5 kids and brought them and her 5 dogs. She made ZERO effort to clean up after her kids and her dogs. I was trying to be supportive and helpful until the damage like using my favorite fry pan as a food dish for her dogs....long story....The damage made me nuts. The fact that she made more excuses as to why she could not care for her animals was worse. If she and her kids actually helped out and she showed an ounce of responsibility then I would not have even cared that she was also attempting to hatch chicks under her bed in an incubator. But since she was totally irresponsible I went postal when I found out. She had no plan and had no idea where she would rear the chicks and was already in the dog house with the lazy kids and the other animals. I finally got her to move out to her own place. I gave her a bunch of chicks and my best hen and rooster. If she took care of her pets and her kids were not so messy I would not have minded having her here but she did not seem to care. I can see your point of wanting chickens and the landlords possible concerns.
Welcome to the forum. I am very glad you joined us here!
Caroline
 
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Welcome to BYC!

Write2caroline X2 Be prepared with information. Do your homework on how you are going to care for them and what the landlord can expect. I really do hope you can keep a small flock of birds. Chickens can be so rewarding and fun to keep.

Good luck with this and keep us posted!
 

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