illegal peep owners unite

[france4862]

Hi I have 4 acres of land i'm trying ti look up zoning for our property bu I find it so annoying to have so much land own it and have no rights. We keep I our house and land in great shape. I just want some chickens for eggs. Anyone else in my predicament.

 

[foreverlearning]

Many people on here do have chickens where they are not allowed. They choose one of two routes:
1) Get them anyway and beg for forgiveness later when caught. This means if you go this way they can take your chickens away when you get caught even if you are fighting them. Some are still able to keep them but most are not.
2) Fight to get the rules changed first. If you do this, than you will be following the law with little risk but a big fight.

Are you in city/town limits? This is usually where the zoning doesn't allow them. Go to city hall and they can tell you what you are zoned for right away. They would have a list and a map of it. Do any of your neighbors have any larger livestock (cow, horse, goat)? If so, you are listed as either agricultural or unzoned and both allow chickens. Either route that you choose, I would suggest you find out what you are zoned for beforehand so that you know what you are getting yourself into. 4 acres seems like a lot not to be able to have them in my mind. Good luck!

 

[MEMama3]

I have illegal chickens. Although I am allowed chickens, I have well exceeded the limits I'm suppose to have. They have been here for two years and no one has said anything. One of the local police even stopped by to compliment my coop telling me his wife saw it and wants one just like it. I think as long as you show responsibility for your animals you can sometimes fly under the radar.

 

[france4862]

I have kept my brooder so clean i want it all to look nice. Here us a picture of our coral and we've had this for many of years and we building walls on a huge kennel which also has a built in house which is also large. Our drive way is very long.

 

[france4862]

From what I understand we are allowed 10 chickens though I just recieved 25chicks and that was the smallest group I could order. They are now about 2 and 3 week's old.it is November so everyone is tucked indoors and there is only one neighbor that would complain she is a neighborhood Nazi.She lives further down the road and can't see much unless she drives by and pulls up driveway.

 

[foreverlearning]

They don't head count unless there is a care issue so you should be fine.

 

[france4862]

If they count I'll have to wish them luck it just looks like 28 lol

 

[buckbye]

I'm not illegal (and if I were it's not like I'd care), but illegal chicken possession (or even possession of a fully loaded high-capacity chicken coop, ooo nooo!) is hardly an offense to lose sleep over. Good fences make the best neighbors, and any lawyer can tell you that complete, unsolicited honesty is overrated.

If someone threatens to make trouble for you, get ahold of their assessor card and look for an unpermitted deck, tool shed, fence, stone wall, finished basement, in-law apartment, swimming pool or some easily overlooked zoning or wetlands violation--and then ask if they wanna compare whose is bigger. True story.

 

[france4862]

That's great. We don't have neighbors close were they could even see the coral. And with all the true crimes going on this is peas (smaller than potatoes). I will continue to keep things orderly and clean.

 

[MEMama3]

I agree that responsible ownership plays a huge part. There is a lady down the street that had her birds in a tiny "tunnel" with no shelter to get out of the rain and beating Sun. Animal control drove past my house where my 12 birds were proudly free ranging in the front yard to cite this woman for having 10 birds (2 more than allowed). I'm also pretty sure she was the one with a rooster that could be heard from time to time. I would love to have a roo, but I have respect for my neighbors that live in spitting distance from.