HELP! Need counter-arguments for non-believers.

[Hyper_Chicken05]

Personally, I feel that is not enough space at all. With a 4sqft coop min and 10sqft run min space that doesn't seem plausible.

What is the minimum amount of space you need, and how many hens per that amount of space would you recommend?

 

[PirateGirl]

I have not read all your replies, but I would work on drafting an ordinance that outlines the restrictions on chicken owners. Looking at some of the arguments, perhaps they need to be behind a privacy fence and coop needs to be a certain distance from property line. Number of chickens to be limited to 4-6 or something small, no roosters allowed. Some sort of provision that outlines how waste is to be stored/disposed of. Something that specifies what size lot someone must have to own chickens. I'm not sure about statistics and property values, but I have heard this complaint from my own neighbor (trying to sell her house) and wanting people in the neighborhood to clean up their properties and not liking that my chickens are visible. The thing is, we live somewhere without an HOA for a reason, and we can't help that there are not a lot of trees. All the stuff in everyone's yards is normal outdoor stuff, it's just that it is visible without trees. You can see my garden tools and the neighbor's spare car that he works on as a hobby and the kids' playground equipment and bicycles. Sometimes it's the nature of the beast and what deters one buyer may attract another. I like knowing that there are families with kids in the neighborhood for example. I digress.

Propose allowing chickens with restrictions and allow them to help come up with reasonable restrictions.

 

[janiedoe]

I think a 1/4 acre lot is plenty for 4 to 6 hens! With a 6 x6 coop you would have more than the minimum 4 sq. Per hen, add a 6 x10 run (minimum 10 sq ft per hen) and that a space of 6 x 16. Do you have a space that size in your back yard?
I would want to plan for a 10 x 10 run & give them a little extra space, making it a 10 x 16 area total.
I hope you can get the naysayers to see your point of view. I know it's hard to change minds once they're made up. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[khorvath]

Thanks everyone. We are working on it. So many of the towns near us, including Chicago allow hens. All those towns have strict guidelines that outline everything from minimum coop size to end of life. There are so many examples from towns near us that have been doing this for years (decades even) and have no issues so I don't believe it can't work for our town.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm a teacher, and every year, I have my students work to enact some change. Sometimes they're successful, sometimes not. What I've seen work is:

• Volume of support (signatures, letters of support, etc.)
• Finding common ground with the governing board and then proposing change
• Going waaaay overboard with the request, then backing off to appear more conciliatory
• Finding similar situations where the proposed change worked

My students have successfully advocated for changing local bike laws, revamping the movie theater, changing the dates of the county fair, getting water bottle refilling stations installed on school campuses, getting paper recycling programs started throughout the city, and even got a parking ticket of mine reversed.

The MOST convincing argument one student made was a very well-edited video showing footage of other similar-size schools that had water bottle filling stations and interviewing students, custodians, etc. She even toured the county landfill to show how many single use water bottles were in the local landfill and how many fewer were in the neighboring county where there were many water bottle filling stations installed. It focused on the positive impact. Maybe you could get local kids involved, maybe FFA kids?

(Just FYI - that girl will be starting her freshman year at UC Berkeley in the fall on a full ride scholarship)

 

[Serin]

I don't live in suburbia. I didn't ever really talk to her, but I know she moved because she got sick of my rooster.
I don't think your adjacent neighborhoods have yet learned that they'll lose money raising chickens.

As they say, if you want to become a millionaire raising chickens, start off as a billionaire.


As it is, statistics show the backyard poultry fad is rapidly fading. More and more people are getting out of chickens as, again, they are learning that they are losing a lot of money. Coupled with lack of veterinary care and a short lifespan/lay period, chickens are not suited to be the next suburban household pet.

This is simply not true. I live in a very urban area outside Chicago and in the past six years, chickens have popped up in backyards ALL OVER, on little 1/4 acre lots. Some people have roosters. People keeping garden chickens are not in it to save money, there is nothing cheaper than factory farmed eggs. They're in it for a healthier more ethical food product or just as a hobby. The birds seem to do very well in urban gardens and are much quieter than people's dogs - give me neighbors with hens any day.

 

[Aunt Angus]

This is simply not true. I live in a very urban area outside Chicago and in the past six years, chickens have popped up in backyards ALL OVER, on little 1/4 acre lots. Some people have roosters. People keeping garden chickens are not in it to save money, there is nothing cheaper than factory farmed eggs. They're in it for a healthier more ethical food product or just as a hobby. The birds seem to do very well in urban gardens and are much quieter than people's dogs - give me neighbors with hens any day.

I can agree with the financial aspect here. I am not in it to save money. I want eggs from ethically raised chickens. And I love birds. I don't really care about losing money. I spend a lot on my dog and my cats because I love them. I don't live in suburbia, but I have friends who do who I've convinced to get chickens.

 

[Cyprus]

This is simply not true. I live in a very urban area outside Chicago and in the past six years, chickens have popped up in backyards ALL OVER, on little 1/4 acre lots. Some people have roosters. People keeping garden chickens are not in it to save money, there is nothing cheaper than factory farmed eggs. They're in it for a healthier more ethical food product or just as a hobby. The birds seem to do very well in urban gardens and are much quieter than people's dogs - give me neighbors with hens any day.

In my city, 1 acre is the minimum to keep chickens. Each city is different.

The fading fad still holds true. Internet searches related to keeping backyard chickens have gone way down since last year -almost the same level as 2011 when the trend took it's biggest hit. There have been increased numbers of whole flock sale/rehoming ads and increased reports of abandoned chickens.

 

[khorvath]

This is simply not true. I live in a very urban area outside Chicago and in the past six years, chickens have popped up in backyards ALL OVER, on little 1/4 acre lots. Some people have roosters. People keeping garden chickens are not in it to save money, there is nothing cheaper than factory farmed eggs. They're in it for a healthier more ethical food product or just as a hobby. The birds seem to do very well in urban gardens and are much quieter than people's dogs - give me neighbors with hens any day.

Exactly!

 

[Cyprus]

Funny enough, between 2004-present Chicago is #12 in interest by metro for raising chickens based on search queries. 44% interest.