help and ideas please.. Want approval from landlord to keep chickens

[Plucky Pullet]

So I found a chicken wandering down the road. I really like this chicken and am hoping I can keep this chicken, I really like it and it is a pet that actually pay its way. Anyways I spoke with the property manager and she finally got back to me saying the landlord has questions. I am not too sure what kind of questions the landlord may have about chickens BUT I want to be prepared.
I know where I want to put a small coop, it is on a part of the garden where no grass is growing anyways so I wouldn;t have to worry about grass damage. Or would approaching the coop situation with a chicken tractor a better idea?
I'm going to raise the fact that chickens are great pest/weed control, the fact I want safe eggs, and f course I will not be keeping a rooster.
I am just not sure what else the landlord may want to know. I was hoping you guys may know of what other kind of questions to expect so I can be prepared with a well researched answer. I am leaning toward the idea that the landlord may just be concerned about property damage and/or ugly structures (coop).
Any suggestions so I can be prepared is more than welcome.
Thank you in advance
Heather

 

[debilorrah]

First off, a single chicken is not a good idea - they are flock animals and not at all happy being alone. Chances are it wouldn't live too long without another chicken around.

I would just explain that they are easy to keep, cheap to feed (unless you have too many like I do) and they produce fresh, disease free eggs. With the recall going on, I am sure they will not have a problem with two chickens. Two chickens won't stink, won't be noisy, don;t need vaccinations (some will disagree with that statement), and are pretty darned funny to watch!

 

[Plucky Pullet]

Rest assured if I am given the ok on keeping the chicken I will be getting more. I would really like 4 chickens, but starting with 2 is good enough.

I am just so worried there is some obscure reason that I am overlooking that may run the risk of the landlord saying no.

 

[chicken_china_mom]

If the landlord is clueless about chickens, as it already sounds like they might be, then some concerns they might have would pertain to disease and bio-safety, though not bio-safety for the birds, they'd be concerned about the other tenants in your building. They'd want to know about their usual noise level (don't be surprised if you get asked if the hens will crow. Some people are just dumb.), and whether they will attract parasites or other pests, like rats and mice. Explain where you will keep feed, how you will contain it (but only if they ask), what you will use to keep the coop or tractor odor free (I highly recommend DE), and make sure you stress the benefits of owning chickens. Eggs is a good start, but add in about insect control and weed control as well. And if anyone grows flowers, stress that chicken poop is an excellent, natural fertilizer. Be prepared for your landlord's questions to sound really, super dumb. I am sometimes (though not as often anymore) surprised when people come to visit, and they ask certain questions about my chickens. I've been asked if the hens crow, if the roosters lay eggs, if they bite, if they attack, if they'll get a disease by touching one, etc. My aunt from PA is the worst. That woman is something else, and was afraid to be around my chickens because she was convinced they would give her Salmonella. Until my mom looked her in the face and asked her, "If they were going around giving people Salmonella, don't you think we'd be sick all the time?" And we're never sick (at least not from anything a chicken could give us!), so she thought about it, and I plopped a cute fluffy chick in her hands and she had to think twice about her viewpoint on chickens. She's just not an animal person. I am. Chickens are so great and I really hope your landlord gives you the go ahead. If I were you, since you do live in an apartment building, I'd opt for a coop instead of a tractor, and I'd put a lock on it so no one tries to steal your birds or your eggs. Or the tractor itself! Good luck, let us know what your landlord says. I'm rooting for you though!

 

[StupidBird]

Landlords are always worried about liabilities and damages. Anything that might cost them, and rightly so.
- covenants, codes and other restrictions beyond the owner's/landlords' control
- possible complaints (real or imagined) by tenants and neighbors
- damages to vegetation, structure, surfaces
- more pests to deal with

But, as said before, don't get too specific. I'd go for more performance based agreements. And get it in writing, of course! With some sort of definition of how much notice if you are told to get rid of them. Renters Rights Laws vary so much...

If your lease already has a clause for or against pets, try not to get yours any more specific or restrictive than the existing.

And, get renters insurance. Always get renters insurance! LFMF

 

[Aaronblackman]

get a compost heap, to make it look as though what you are about to say is true, and tell them that you want to be as self reliant as possible, and the hens will help you get eggs, a bit of money, food, and a place to throw your rubbish food into

 

[Plucky Pullet]

Still waiting to answer his questions. Thankfully I don't need to worry about other tenant because I do live in a house and think , and I am only guessing here, that the main concern may be noise and how bad the chicken will destroy the grass. I have a perfect spot to keep them already (and its in a spot where no grass grows anyways)
I do have renters insurance, and my pet clause is no pet without prior approval from the landlord.
Please keep the possibly questions that a landlord may have coming, to me it is gold!!

 

[WingingIt]

I have no idea where you live, but check the rules/ordinances to make sure they are allowed. They will be your chickens, but if there's a nasty HOA or city council, they could make his life miserable for owning a property where disallowed activities are happening.

Just double check them so that you can reassure him that they are allowed, maybe draw out a sketch of where you'd keep them and what you'd have to house them in. That way the landlord would see that they are going where the grass is non-existant, that they'd be adequately protected, etc. Good luck!