INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Southside Indianapolis!

Love being a chicken owner and surprised to see so many...

Has anyone heard of an restriction on the number of chickens we can have in Indianapolis? I heard it's a new thing?

Welcome to BYC and our thread!

Quote:

LOL!

 

[Lengerich Farms]

You'll kill meat birds before 8 mos = they don't count. Just keep receipts. 8mos is "adult birds" which are the only ones that count by law. All meat birds are butchered before 8mos (CX chickens are processed from 3-12 weeks depending on how big you want them). 

It's 12 birds total if you got them after 4/1/16. Not 12 hens and one rooster. If you have a roo and twelve hens, you have to give up a hen. Yes, he should be confined between dusk and down. They stipulate that "dawn" is roughly 7am (not sure, but I think you're not supposed to let them out before 7 and that he should be inside by 10pm). 

According to the law: 

1 Roo=one bird, but you're only allowed to have one
1 Hen= one hen
1 Quail= one hen
1 Bantam chicken = one hen
1 Duck = one hen

Total adult birds on premises not grandfathered in: 12 birds. 

There is no stipulation concerning gender on ducks or quail. No matter how big or small your birds are, you are only allowed 12 adult birds on the premises. No stipulation concerns the type of quail or ducks which are owned, but if you want a native species (like bobwhites) you need a permit (through DNR, about $15/year). 

No partridge, pheasants, peafowl, guineas, turkeys, emu, ostrich, etc. Just chickens, ducks and quail. 

I didn't read the actual law (couldn't find it) but what I read was a WTHR article. From what I understood ( and it must've been wrong) was the numbers (12) they were talking about were chickens only. If I would've realized that I wouldn't have bought the Muscovy ducklings. If adult birds count as 8 mo this, then I only have five as the Pekins (which are moving to Ft. Wayne soon anyway) don't count, yet. Did you happen to find a link to where the law is laid out? If so if you could post it that would be great. I only keep finding article on it.

 

[Lengerich Farms]

@Indyshent

And I was JUST trying to talk the wife into some of these! :-(

 

[Lengerich Farms]

My question is: how're they going to keep track of who has what? My neighbors don't care, and they're all excited at the prospect of eggs. This new law is throwing a wrench in my gears

 

[Mother2Hens]

Originally Posted by Lengerich Farms
My question is: how're they going to keep track of who has what? My neighbors don't care, and they're all excited at the prospect of eggs. This new law is throwing a wrench in my gears

I would just keep it on the down low -lol- because word travels, and you probably don't know all of your neighbors. All it takes is one person to call animal control for a surprise visit. Then you'd likely be on a follow-up visit list. Having a private area of your flock is good, and you can tell curious people that you can't allow visitors because of biosecurity.

 

[Lengerich Farms]

...

[COLOR=8B4513]I would just keep it on the down low -lol- because word travels, and you probably don't know all of your neighbors. All it takes is one person to call animal control for a surprise visit. Then you'd likely be on a follow-up visit list. Having a private area of your flock is good, and you can tell curious people that you can't allow visitors because of biosecurity. [/COLOR]
[/quote
That's the nice thing: our whole back yard of covered by a hedge row, and where I plan on putting the run will be protected from prying eyes. Two of my immediate neighbors don't care, they're both elderly and were raised on farms so fresh eggs is all they want. The other lady is barely home,
And plans on putting up a privacy fence right where the run is gunna be so her dogs can run free. I just spent the last thirty minutes getting the run around on the phone, so I'm fed up. I come from a long line of farmers, and just because I don't have 40 acres and a mule doesn't mean that I can't farm what I've got. Luckily then Pekins are the loudest, and they're going to my cousin anyway. So that brings me down to dive adult birds. 9 once the ducklings and buff and lavender are large enough. I can still do meat birds and such, but I won't do many because we have to invest in a deep freezer

 

[Lengerich Farms]

I can't find anywhere on the USDA website about ducks/ waterfowl being considered live stock. So, by that reasoning, I could have 8 ducks, and twelve chickens and they really couldn't say anything. They can't label an animal live stock of it isn't federally regulated as live stock.

I may be a vet, and I love my country, but if I pay my taxes and don't do any thing crazy, leave me alone lol. That's my government view.

Sorry for all the ranting and raving everyone, it just grinds my gears that the government has to meddle with people that are raising animals to supply food for their families. I'll end my soap box now, but if anyone can find a direct link to the bill (still haven't been able to) I would appreciate it.

 

[Faraday40]

I can't find anywhere on the USDA website about ducks/ waterfowl being considered live stock. So, by that reasoning, I could have 8 ducks, and twelve chickens and they really couldn't say anything. They can't label an animal live stock of it isn't federally regulated as live stock.

I may be a vet, and I love my country, but if I pay my taxes and don't do any thing crazy, leave me alone lol. That's my government view.

Sorry for all the ranting and raving everyone, it just grinds my gears that the government has to meddle with people that are raising animals to supply food for their families. I'll end my soap box now, but if anyone can find a direct link to the bill (still haven't been able to) I would appreciate it.

I believe that most people would agree with you, but no one wants unwanted visits from the enforcement officials either.

In the city of Chicago, there are no limits to the number of hens & roosters once can keep. (Only a vague noise ordinance.) I have even seen a few backyards with small goats. It's crazy what people squeeze into those tiny backyards. In most suburbs, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, pigeons, goats, pot belly pigs, etc. have been illegal, but people still kept them as pets - like house rabbits. Now that backyard flocks are becoming more popular, several suburbs are making new laws to permit hens. Yet, they are very strict. Ie- You must pay $75 for a permit & have a limit of 4 hens & no roos. (In other words, you will over pay for those eggs & still not get enough to feed a medium to large family.)

Our friends, who kept chickens (quietly) for years w/o issue, went to get a permit & were denied. The were told that their coop & run (which was protected by a fence & shaded by a tree & bushes) had to be moved. The city said the structure must be 20' from the property line, so it needed to be torn down. My friends argued that the suggested new location was out in the open & therefore would get too hot in summer & too drafty in winter. They could have fought for a variance, but the cost of that would have been over $500. They should have never tried to be legal & ended up selling the chickens..... and later their house.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I can't find anywhere on the USDA website about ducks/ waterfowl being considered live stock. So, by that reasoning, I could have 8 ducks, and twelve chickens and they really couldn't say anything. They can't label an animal live stock of it isn't federally regulated as live stock.

I may be a vet, and I love my country, but if I pay my taxes and don't do any thing crazy, leave me alone lol. That's my government view.

Sorry for all the ranting and raving everyone, it just grinds my gears that the government has to meddle with people that are raising animals to supply food for their families. I'll end my soap box now, but if anyone can find a direct link to the bill (still haven't been able to) I would appreciate it.

Please feel free to rant! Its been very frustrating for several thread members. All this rezoning crap had a hard impact on many folks the last 2 years. IMHO a barking dog is 10 times more annoying than a crowing rooster! And the reason you are having issues finding the ordinance, its buried very well. One of our thread members went to all those meetings, and had a huge fight trying to get her hands on the real documents! @flyladyrocks would be a good one to ask questions about that whole nightmare.. She hasn't been on the thread a while tho.

 

[tmarsh83]

Government. Ruins. Everything.

It's a universal fact.

Busy body local bureaucrats are the worst.

I couldn't live in an incorporated area. I'd go to jail.