Hi, does anyone have statistics regarding chicken coops causing fires in a community. The heat lamps in particular.

[Lenny Bob Jim Joe]

Sounds like a solution looking for a non-existent problem. I would think you are more likely to get complaints about noise and/or smell. Roosters make noise and are often banned within city limits. A properly maintained chicken coop and run should not smell - but I can imagine neighbors complaining about it anyway. Most likely they feel their property values will suffer if someone in the neighborhood is raising small animals.

Where I live, chicken coops come in all shapes and sizes. Hardly anyone has electricity in the coop. In the winter, I run an extension cord out to the coop for the water heater to prevent the water from freezing. I suppose I would be in violation of any hard wire code. But the extension cord is on a GFCI outlet and the draw on the circuit is about 30 watts, significantly lower than my typical 100-watt lightbulb used in the house. I don't use any heat lamps. If anything caught fire in my coop, it might burn the coop down, but it's too far away from the house to worry about.

I was thinking your local firehouse might be able to tell you how many coop fires they have responded to over the years. Local insurance agents might be able to give you a report on coop fires. We all know that insurance companies look for any way to increase your rates. If chicken coop fires are on their radar, they would have an increase in rate for that.

I don't know what concerns a Planning Board needs to consider, but if there is not a problem currently, why is the board writing up all kinds of regulations and fines? Good that you are asking for feedback before you write or adopt any policy. I would just ask, if you don't currently have any problems, why do you need a policy on these issues?

I live outside of the city limits, so I don't have to worry about community regulations. I have read many complaints about chicken owners who are having difficult times with city boards and regulations written by people who have never raised chickens. I usually suggest that they move out of the city where they can enjoy their lifestyle without having to deal with complaining neighbors or fines from the city.

Hope you can find a way forward that allows people to have a small backyard flock without overregulating and fining them out of existence. But I do understand that city life may have to be much more regulated than those of us outside city limits.

Hi, thanks you for the reply. The City Council is the culprit in accessing fines and trying to call out construction, hardwire, and being repressive in my opinion. The Planning Board, of which I am a member, will look to make changes to the City's proposed ordinance. They also want the dog catcher in charge of approving coops or policing. It seems they are trying to make having chickens legal but unattainable by the standards they set in the ordinance.

 

[Lenny Bob Jim Joe]

Adult chickens don’t need heat lamps. Most baby chicks are raised indoors during the short heat lamp phase. I wouldn’t worry about heat lamps in coops, it just isn’t a common practice.
I think you’re worrying about a non existent issue.

Thanks. I am pro chicken. I am trying to get information to use in my argument for chickens to see if any of the fire concerns are legitimate. This site is awesome!!

 

[Lenny Bob Jim Joe]

Sounds like a solution looking for a non-existent problem. I would think you are more likely to get complaints about noise and/or smell. Roosters make noise and are often banned within city limits. A properly maintained chicken coop and run should not smell - but I can imagine neighbors complaining about it anyway. Most likely they feel their property values will suffer if someone in the neighborhood is raising small animals.

Where I live, chicken coops come in all shapes and sizes. Hardly anyone has electricity in the coop. In the winter, I run an extension cord out to the coop for the water heater to prevent the water from freezing. I suppose I would be in violation of any hard wire code. But the extension cord is on a GFCI outlet and the draw on the circuit is about 30 watts, significantly lower than my typical 100-watt lightbulb used in the house. I don't use any heat lamps. If anything caught fire in my coop, it might burn the coop down, but it's too far away from the house to worry about.

I was thinking your local firehouse might be able to tell you how many coop fires they have responded to over the years. Local insurance agents might be able to give you a report on coop fires. We all know that insurance companies look for any way to increase your rates. If chicken coop fires are on their radar, they would have an increase in rate for that.

I don't know what concerns a Planning Board needs to consider, but if there is not a problem currently, why is the board writing up all kinds of regulations and fines? Good that you are asking for feedback before you write or adopt any policy. I would just ask, if you don't currently have any problems, why do you need a policy on these issues?

I live outside of the city limits, so I don't have to worry about community regulations. I have read many complaints about chicken owners who are having difficult times with city boards and regulations written by people who have never raised chickens. I usually suggest that they move out of the city where they can enjoy their lifestyle without having to deal with complaining neighbors or fines from the city.

Hope you can find a way forward that allows people to have a small backyard flock without overregulating and fining them out of existence. But I do understand that city life may have to be much more regulated than those of us outside city limits.

The City Council has come up with the fines, hardwire etc..The Planning Board is to have a meeting in October where we get input to the proposed ordinance. I am pro chicken. I am gathering info to fight some of their arguments. Thank you for the help

 

[Lenny Bob Jim Joe]

In Israel there were only four cases of coop fires, all due to electricity not being well maintained, or terorist attacks hope that helps.

awesome info! Thanks

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Thank you. I think the 'fire' excuse is over done by a council member looking for reasons to stand against chicken in the city limits

in that case, have that council member present documented proof to support his/her concern thereby justifying the need for such regulation. Seems like you got stuck doing the research to disprove the need for regulation for a problem that only exists because ‘they say so’
Have a discussion based on presented facts before imposing regulation on a community.

 

[Lenny Bob Jim Joe]

in that case, have that council member present documented proof to support his/her concern thereby justifying the need for such regulation. Seems like you got stuck doing the research to disprove the need for regulation for a problem that only exists because ‘they say so’
Have a discussion based on presented facts before imposing regulation on a community.

Well said! I was at a council meeting last night. The few community members that were there were completely unaware of the extent of the 'proposed regulation' even tho the City is saying they may allow chickens they are making the regulation so restrictive that no person will be able to meet the requirements. Clever politicking perhaps

 

[Krugerrand]

Sounds like a solution looking for a non-existent problem. I would think you are more likely to get complaints about noise and/or smell. Roosters make noise and are often banned within city limits. A properly maintained chicken coop and run should not smell - but I can imagine neighbors complaining about it anyway. Most likely they feel their property values will suffer if someone in the neighborhood is raising small animals.

My local ordinances state that a coop needs to be 'properly heated.' It's clearly written by somebody who does not know raising chickens in SW Pennsylvania. So, I interpret 'properly heated' to mean 'no heat at all.' My girls are dry with lots of draft free ventilation above their heads.

 

[Lenny Bob Jim Joe]

My local ordinances state that a coop needs to be 'properly heated.' It's clearly written by somebody who does not know raising chickens in SW Pennsylvania. So, I interpret 'properly heated' to mean 'no heat at all.' My girls are dry with lots of draft free ventilation above their heads.

Thank you

 

[gtaus]

It seems they are trying to make having chickens legal but unattainable by the standards they set in the ordinance.

City is saying they may allow chickens they are making the regulation so restrictive that no person will be able to meet the requirements.

That is definitely the way I read it. Considering a day old chick costs something like $3.00, who would want to risk a $100.00 a day fine for regulations that they probably don't know about or understand? It's too bad. If the City Council wants to ban chickens, they should probably state so. Everything about the proposed ordinance/regulations you have stated sound suspicious to me.

I hope you can prevail with reasoned responses to unreasonable concerns. Good luck.

 

[gtaus]

My local ordinances state that a coop needs to be 'properly heated.'

What kind of people write garbage like that?

I'm glad I live outside city limits and don't have to worry about such regulations. I suspect most of these regulations are written in response to complaints by people who just don't want chickens next door to them in the city. And I suspect most complaints are by people who feel they will have a loss of property value if someone in the neighborhood has a chicken coop in the backyard, whether or not it presents a problem for them.

I don't envy public servants who have to deal with such complaints, either. I don't think I would want that job.