how many chickens are two many chickens

[haemony]

Pfft. Hoarding! This word is a new pet peeve of mine. Hoarding is one of those manipulative buzzwords that is often used to get people to police each other's behavior and to marginalize those who are self reliant or sentimental. One can be called a "hoarder" these days for doing something as practical and sensible as storing food or as innocent as collecting books/magazines. People should not be so concerned with what their neighbors are doing if it does not directly effect them. I think all the nosy policing behavior people are into these days is scarier than someone who saves up some stuff they might need. Also, as others have mentioned, 30 birds on 2 acres is lightweight. If you have over 2 acres of land you could have a lot more birds than that and as long as you keep them off your neighbors property and they are kept sanitary, it's none of their business.

 

[cassidy22]

30 cats? Possibly a hoarder. 30 chickens on 2.3 acres? As long as they are fed, watered, cared for, and healthy, then of course not. I have close to 300 on 6 acres. They share a pasture with 20 sheep. I run a business, but I love every one of them. I would hope no one considered me a hoarder. Yes, it is a lot of birds, but we take care of all of them (and they eat all our mosquitos! Hooray!) So it's a win-win.

If you think your neighbors are going to give you trouble, try talking to them. Also, talk to your local sheriff or officials and see if they are familiar with chickens and such. The problem is, if they call to report you, and you get some bumbling idiot who knows nothing about birds to come to your house, they can make some dumb decisions. If you live in an area where people understand chickens, they probably won't think twice about seeing birds taking dirt baths, and poop under their perches. But people who think all animals should live in pristine conditions all the time can end up getting you into trouble for no reason.

Also, check the zoning laws and see what you are able to have. I live in an agricultural zone, so there is no restriction on what types of animals I have, nor how many, provided they are properly cared for.

 

[haemony]

Very good points Cassidy. People do have strange ideas about animals. I had a few cousins visit and they were horrified to see chicken poop on the floor of the run and even more horrified that they were randomly pooping on their pasture. I guess they thought it was like a giant kitty litter box and that I should be scooping it out constantly.

 

[CherryPhi]

I am brand new to having chickens and I probably have more than a newbie should but I don’t think I could pick and choose from my flock which ones goes and which one stays. I was devastated when a hawk got one of my sweeties who we called Houdini because she kept escaping. As far as hoarding, horse people have a plaque that says “Horses are like potato chips, you can’t just have one”. Guess it must be the same for chickens. Horses are herd creatures and don’t do well alone. Chickens are a flock animals and it is probably healthier for them to have other birds to flock with. (I imagine that is something everyone on this site knows already). I know there are professional people that see my animals as livestock and find me silly, sloppy sentimental, etc about them. That is what I like about this site. People here get it. I don’t attribute human emotions to them but I love them for what they are. I imagine your neighbors would love to tell you what color you can paint your house and if you can park your car over night in your driveway. That is the attraction for most people who live in housing developments with Home Owners Associations. As long as I am obeying the law, what my neighbors think is their problem. ( BTW I lived in a major, large city and they allowed poultry and livestock under a certain weight ). Good luck

 

[Blue]

Hoarding does seem to be a word that gets thrown around a lot lately with no thought to the actual meaning of the word. Like others have said, I only consider people to be hoarding animals when they have more animals than they can care for properly. There's no actual number value to it; one person may be unable to properly care for 2 animals, while another person may have many more animals than that and be able to care for them just fine. If your chickens are well fed, healthy, and have plenty of space, then you're doing fine. Currently, I have around 34 chickens that I'll have to start downsizing for winter soon. I haven't decided which of my cochin cockerels to keep (may end up keeping more than 1 (I have 5 to choose from). I also have a few more roosters that need to go.

 

[Ole rooster]

If your chickens aren't roosting on your headboard or shower rod, I would think that buzz word doesn't pertain to you. You're in the clear. Headbard? That means you're sleeping in poo. Wow.

 

[airmechreed]

Quote:
I think the real question here is how many neighbors is too many?

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Quote:
I think the real question here is how many neighbors is too many?

X2!

 

[sunnyvera]

I agree with all the posters so far - we have goofy neighbors on both sides of us. For them even 1 chicken is too many. We have 21 chickens on almost 3 acres. (Wait until I get a cow, they will go nuts) They both came from the "city" and think country life is sooooo quiet and peaceful. They fuss about roosters crowing, wood stove burning, etc. This is what people do in the country. I am sorry for that, but I love it. Our set up is beautiful, clean and people are amazed how good my birds have it. I do not think you are a hoarder at all.

 

[flashover1969]

I think if you had 200 chickens on maybe 1/3 of an acre of land, then you would probably have too many chickens lol