Hello! Prospective Backyard Chicken Owner Here!

[TrishaMarie]

My name is Trish and I live with my husband Chris in Canonsburg, PA. It's in Washington County, south of the city of Pittsburgh.

I'm kind of a homebody and I don't do too much outside except yard work (and driving when it snows because I love to drive when it snows!!)

I have a wonderful dream to one day own a haunted house, a non-profit animal rescue (cats mostly) and have 10 acres of land with a successful single-family farm (livestock and garden).

Well, I'm still stuck in the dreaming phase with most of it but I recently found out my landlord I rent from now wouldn't mind us keeping a coop of chickens. (Yay!!)

Well, that put my motivation in gear and I've been constantly looking things up on the internet about it, so I found this website!

Unfortunately, I don't know yet if I am allowed to have them in my area. I did look here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/3/Laws/ But my area isn't listed. I suppose I will have to just bother my municipality with a phone call Monday! Haha.

But if all goes well, I will be building my own coop/pen. I am not sure exactly what I want to do yet. If I want to do a pen or a coop with a fenced out portion of my yard so they can roam about. Though, we do have a lot of feral kitties about.. So I am not sure what the best option is.

Thanks for reading!

 

[drumstick diva]

feral kitties will be decimating your flock, if you don't have them fenced in(with cover) properly - so will every other predator in the area. Everything loves chicken. Please check out the predator and coop threads in the forums.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Hope you are allowed to have chickens! You could also try asking on your state thread in case there is someone from the area who might know before Monday https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/248345/pennsylvania-unite X2 on drumstick diva's suggestion of check out the Coops forum, if you are planning on moving, you might consider making a tractor you can move around the yard or designing your coop so you can eventually take it with you.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

Well I sure hope you can get some chickens soon! They are such fun birds to keep and a good hobby for the soul. For now, look around BYC, gather some info and knowledge and someday when you do get the chance to keep poultry, you will be well on your way to understanding!

Welcome to our flock!

 

[Blooie]

Well, there is a chicken coop manufacturer in Canonsburg, PA, and if you google it there's a phone number. Someone there might know since they are in the business of providing coops for chickens. Part of their advertising states that "chicken coops in Canonburg, PA have...." and then it goes on to talk about that further. Now I get that ads are ads - they want to sell a product, but the wording of their web site does make it sound like these are coops that folks in Canonsburg PA are using. Probably just selling semantics, but it's worth a shot.

Your best bet is to do just what you suggested - contact someone in your town hall or zoning office. If they tell you "no" then you are within your rights to request a copy of the ordinance or statute which pertains - not just a look at it but a copy of it. I've been on Planning and Zoning here in my community, and currently serve on the town council....I've seen where some communities figure saying "no" is enough and that they don't owe you any further information. That is totally incorrect, so don't be afraid to stand firm and ask until you get it. Here, if a citizen needs to know why something can't be done, or must be done, we immediately provide them with the written copy of what pertains to their concern. They don't even have to ask. But each community is different.

Just a word of advice....while telling you to remain firm in requesting a copy of the ordinance or reg, I would be remiss in not pointing out to do so with patience and a decent attitude. If there is an ordinance prohibiting chickens, you stand a much better chance of working with your local government and with a group to work toward changing it if they remember you as the really nice lady who came in, rather than the shrieking shrew who came in and tried to "make trouble." Good luck!

 

[gander007]

 

[mimischicksnat]

Hello,

I'm from Lone Pine, a little south of Eighty Four. Hubs grew up in Eighty Four near Mingo.

I think you would have to ask about this because it seems the Ordinance may be a little negative on the poultry side.

There is an online copy of the code and part of it states:

S
72-1
CANONSBURG CODE
S
72-3
OTHER ANIMALS Any household pet defined as a "domesticated animal" that is
normally or can generally be kept within the immediate living quarters of a residential
structure. Any member of the sheep, swine, poultry, bovine or equine family of quadrupeds or
reptiles having a venomous or constrictor nature does not constitute a household pet under the
provisions of this chapter.

The whole thing can be found at http://www.canonsburgboro.com/ under Applications and Coding and Ordinances.

I hope by now you already know this and could maybe ask for a variance?