Neighbor came over yesterday to talk to us about our chickens., need some advice

[All Henned Up]

The way I read it you can only have 4 chickens and even if you had 3 acres you have to fence the grazing area, section 605 article b and c.
so no matter what you need a fence to have more than 4.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Fence. Period.

I have close to 100 chickens and work hard to keep them where they belong as I know just how destructive they can be. You only have a few birds. They don't really need all that much room. A small fenced area will not cost that much to build. Even if you can't afford to fence your whole yard, the chickens will be totally fine with less. Many, many chickens in the world live in their runs full-time with no ill effects. Free range is nice, but not necessary.

For temporary fencing, you can try T-posts and a roll of plastic snow fence. Cheap and effective, but ugly. You will need to clip wings to keep them in it, though.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Fence, Fence, Fence!!!!!

It is your responsibility to keep your livestock and pets on your property.

 

[Trefoil]

I may be wrong and please correct me if I am, but according to what you told us, you are zoned Woodland Conservation and Rural Farming, that means the regulations for you are in section 400. What it says is that your coop must be 50' from your property lines. That is all the regulations I found for having chickens in your zone.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Fence! No ifs,ands or buts. Keep your animals on your own land and your neighbors won;t complain. You say you hate fences, and it sounds like it is because they block your view, so use welded wire fencing with openings small enough that the chickens won't be able to pass. Many breeds will not fly over a 5 or 6 foot fence. Some are contained with even less height.

 

[mamasky]

Guys, lol...I know my chickens need to be in my yard. There was never a question about that. And we will be putting up a fence with our tax return. That wasn't my question and although I hate fences and wish that we didn't have to do it, we do so we will. That was never my question or the purpose of my post. Yes, I explained the situation that happened but, my only reason for this post was to find out if what my neighbor said was true about us only being able to have 4 chickens. I can try to call the zoning people but now it's the weekend and I'll have to wait until next week. I called them when we were first putting an offer on the house and the township said yes, the zoning people didn't even know and had to call me back and also told me yes. But now our neighbor says only 4 birds are allowed.

 

[Mattemma]

I would try to find things out online,or go into zoning to ask for a printout on local laws.Sometimes the laws can vary from city.I can have them,but a mile down the road no.Then there are the setbacks and animal amount restrictions.Some places restrict dog and cat numbers you can have.I have heard of chicken numbers per acre so it is possible.Look up state and city codes.If you are still ok with neighbor ask where they found this number.Heck I bet they hand you a printout!

They might not report you if you fence up.If you do get reported just sell off what you need too in order to be legal.These kooky laws stink don't they? I will always check animal laws before buying in the future.

In the least do some plastic fencing with bamboo poles and zip ties.Works for me.Best wishes.For now keep all you have till someone makes you get rid of them.

 

[ghostwolf211]

I live up in Schuykill County inside of a Borough....Your best bet is to go to the township building and have them explain the ordinance to you....If they cannot then they should be able to point you in the right direction as to who can decipher the ordinance to you....Your Zoning will not have the amount of birds you can have in it....All the Zoning is for is to state what you can build on a specific property or in a specific area....Here in PA it is up to the Borough or in your case the Township to regulate how many animals you can have or what kind you can have....That being said if there is no specific ordinance then you can have as many as you like until you start reaching the numbers where the Dept. of Ag. gets involved....Where I live we don't have an ordinance...I'm able to have my chickens due to my researching and finding out the state's borough codes which are very specific regarding poultry in stating it is up to the individual borough or township to regulate poultry and it must be in the form of an ordinance....

That being said you need to find out the ordinance....Don't worry about the Zoning.....And get a fence.....I did see in the Zoning it requires you to have one....I seen a couple good suggestions and I'll even give you one.....You can go to Tractor Supply...Get some roles of chicken wire and get the wire posts that hammer into the ground....It would be economical.....Especially in your wooded area.....

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Zoning DOES make a difference. In MANY cases that is the ONLY place that it lists whether poultry are/are not an allowed use. In some places, there is an ordinance that lists whether poultry are allowed or not, and how many, but that is not universal.

 

[ghostwolf211]

I understand what you are saying...But here in PA it does not make a difference....I live in a Residential Zone....I am able to have chickens because here in PA the Commonwealth states that the boroughs and townships can only regulate by an Ordinance...If they don't have an ordinance they cannot regulate....Only when you hit a specific number the Commonwealth can come in with the Dept. of Ag.....Because the Borough I live in does not have an Ordinance pertaining to any type of animal, by rights I could put a Cow in my backyard and the Borough could do nothing about it...I have already talked to my State Reps. about this issue and they sent me the Laws Stating this....You are in Arizona...Your laws and zoning are different....This person lives in not only the same State as I do but an hour to my south....I have researched the laws pertaining to this subject here in this State very extensively