I hate living in the city

[1stepcloser]

My neighbor helped me build a chicken coop. (Super nice guy) Now some city codes enforcer guy came by while I was at the dentist. He left his card and a message with my 12 year old. Take down the coop and sell the chickens. what? The coop isn't even a perm. structure or attached to one. It is just a free standing frame with chicken wire and a blue tarp. There is nothing on the books about chickens other than they cannot be withing X amount of feet of a neighbor and cannot be a nuisance. They never leave my yard, I don't own a rooster, and there is no smell.




UUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!

I left him a message and of course, no one has called back.

 

[CreleChick]

It's rediculous what they come up with sometimes. Unless there are written set ordinances (which are sometimes confusing and contradicting) that you can Google or find through city for your city, and you don't have objecting neighbors...I don't see why it would be a problem. Chickens are becoming more and more popular as pets and also have economical worth for many families now. People like to know where their food comes from, and with a flock of chickens they can utilize everything, eggs, chickens and whatever else!

I live way smack in the city too. Major crossroads and butt to butt houses. At any one time I have 15 chickens (seems like everytime I get rid of one I get one or two more for some reason) and I have had crowing items on the yard for almost four years now and no one has said otherwise. My city is ready to throw out chicken regulations because of the high number of fowl fanciers who fought the city-including me writing to all the council-peoples fighting cause against them. I have 7 roosters and always high producing and male lined chickens that give me all roosters usually. They start crowing, no one cares. I convinced our new neighbors to get chickens. They love animals and he got himself a nice trio of show looking game bantams and I recently asked him if he wanted three roosters I had for free to do whatever he wants and he took them. We have a very small yard mind you.


My point of my long blah blah I guess is, if your city doesn't have rules (and they just want to play bigshots) I see no reason you can't keep your chickens as long as you keep up on the cleaning, there are no foul odors, you keep the chickens cooped or free-ranged but under somewhat control by wing clipping and such and providing that roosters don't cause any nuisance. Ask your neighbors how they feel about chickens and offer them eggs and chicky poo for lawns and garden. They may feel differently later

When he calls back, ask him everything you can think of for any questions you may have and ask that he send you all the city ordinances, rules and regulations and what any requirements may be.

Also, I see no reason to take down your coop either for not being a permanent structure unless it's a huge eyesore for the neighborhood....

 

[ParkfieldFarm]

I would wait to hear back, and then start the fight. For all you know, you may never hear from him again.

 

[Jonathanq1]

American game bantams... Neat do they look similar to the OEG's, and crow alike?

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[CreleChick]

Yes, actually they do look slightly similar. AGB are larger with a mini gamecock-like appearance. Their tails are a little bigger and to be semi cartoid shaped and the tails unlike Old English, tend to stay large. Every crow is different, but yeah they have a slight banty crow to them. Come in the same colors and everything.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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Well, if the ordinances say that they where they must be/not be located, then the ordinance essentially states that they are allowed. The term nuisance is extrememly vague, so you need to see exactly what constitutes a nuisance according to your ordinances. Make sure you are not violating any specified nuisances and you should be in the clear.

As to the order to "take down the coop," look through your city's information about when a building permit is needed/not needed. For a non-premanent structure, chances are pretty high that a permit is not needed, so he has no more leg to stand on than if you went to the pet store and bought a larger rabbit hutch or dog house.

Once you've done this background work, write a polite letter to Code Enforcement and copied to the city attorney stating that chickens are allowed in accordance with [cite the ordinance], the coop does not need city approval in accordance with [cite that rule] and that you can find no nuisances in accordance with [another citing of ordinances

] Thus, the message left with your child was at best inappropriate. State that you want written acknowledgement of this, and that any further correspondance needs to be directly with you, not through a minor.

 

[bargain]

I would take this to it's limit....

But you might also want to construct a few stealth coops.....these look like trash cans and have expandable runs.....Pm if you cannot find the link...think it was on my pet chickens but I may be wrong.

 

[1stepcloser]

I talked briefly with the guy last night. He seemed very sympathetic and kept saying "I never would have known if no one had complained." and "It only takes one person to ruin it for everybody." He agreed they were quiet, unobtrusive, and very sweet. (I guess one walked up to him on the other side of the fence hoping for a treat). Rather than ordering me to take the coop down/get rid of my chickens he told me he wanted to talk to his superviser. I honestly don't know where he got the 250 ft thing from. I cannot find it anywhere. And I agree. Nuisance is a very vague term but I pointed out to him they don't crow, don't smell, never leave my yard and no one can see them unless the make a concerted effort to look in my back yard.

Then I hit him wiht my zinger. I told him they FED my family. (((fingers crossed))) I still really dislike living in the city for this very reason. Not bothering anyone, vague rules, and yet someone with nothing better to do messes w/my family JUST BECAUSE. I want a 12 foot privacy fence for Christmas.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

A 12' fence will almost certainly require a building permit, and in a residential area it may well violate zoning, meaning you would have to have a variance.

Ask specifically what ordinance they are violating. Just becasue someone complains does not mean it is a nuisance. I could complain about any number of things--doesn't mean it would or should carry any legal or enforcement weight/value. For instance, I do not like geraniums; my neighbor does. If I were to complain that she has geraniums, it certainly shouldn't carry any weight as being a nuisance. On the other hand, if a neighbor had a garden full of plants listed as noxious weeds and therefore forbidden by the state/city and I complained, it would.

 

[CreleChick]

It sounds like he may be willing to work with you. Did he say of which person the complaint came from? And how they knew you had chickens unless a hen was cackling mad about an egg or they were looking over your fence?

There are those reed-like privacy type fence things or the "blind" type weaves that go in chain link fence that are also made as a free standing single fence you should be able to put up with no problem. I think most city backyards don't like higher than 6 ft fences in backyards. But check of course. They sell them at Home Depot and Lowes and such. Bernards, whatever is on your side on the states. The neighbor on the east side of us has the privacy reed fencing, the people in back of us have a 6ft brick wall, and our west fence is not even 5ft wood fence. Our neighbor is welcome to look over however (and does) he's a chicken person too

Also, I may have missed it even reading through again, but what was the 250 feet thing?