Official BYC Poll: Which Challenges Did You Face in Getting Backyard Chickens?

[BYC Project Manager]

Whether you want to raise chickens for your own eggs or your own meat, you want to be self-sufficient. You have done your research on basic chicken care. When it came to getting chickens, what are the biggest challenges you encountered?

Place your vote above, and please elaborate in a reply below if you chose "Other".

Further Reading:

• How To Raise Chickens​

• Common Mistakes Poultry Keepers Make (And How to Fix Them)​

• Keeping Chickens Without Free Ranging​

(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

 

[K0k0shka]

A nasty neighbor discovered a gray area in the zoning law that didn't strictly define the laws around chicken-keeping, and he tried to exploit that to get the town to take my chickens away. After a prolonged battle that turned ugly, the town took my side and rewrote the laws to make it explicitly clear that chickens are not to be regulated. I haven't heard from that neighbor since (knock on wood... I still have PTSD and am too afraid to celebrate, because you never know with people like that). That's it though, everything else has been smooth sailing.

 

[TwoShepherds]

I don’t build, so for me the biggest challenge is coop and run/fence construction.

 

[Angel07]

My main problem is currently convincing my mum to let me have a rooster. Also, to convince my dad to let me breed some more ducks. Other than that, they both like eggs and chook/duck for dinner so it’s not overly difficult. The main problem with the ducks is I’m having trouble getting people to buy them. Hopefully this round I’ll get some more interested. I’ve already had someone thinking about getting some.

 

[Isadora]

No issues, really. We bought the chicks locally, my husband had the expertise to build the coop, we're rural so had no regs against owning chickens, etc. So I selected It Was Easy.

 

[jsbugg]

A nasty neighbor discovered a gray area in the zoning law that didn't strictly define the laws around chicken-keeping, and he tried to exploit that to get the town to take my chickens away. After a prolonged battle that turned ugly, the town took my side and rewrote the laws to make it explicitly clear that chickens are not to be regulated. I haven't heard from that neighbor since (knock on wood... I still have PTSD and am too afraid to celebrate, because you never know with people like that). That's it though, everything else has been smooth sailing.

I'm sorry you have to deal with a nasty neighbor. Maybe they'll move soon. I was lucky with my next door neighbor. The town ordinance dictates that the coop and run have to be 10 feet from the property line. When the animal control officer came to inspect my coop before I was granted a license the neighbor cae over and told the officer that he was happy that I had my coop and run behind my garage close enough to his back porch so he and his wife could sit on their porch and see and hear my hens. I got my license and the coop is only 4 feet from the property line! My neighbors are out every morning and eat their breakfast on the porch on nice days when I go out to let my girls out into their run. they say they love to see how goofy the birds are when they get a little running room and love to hear the egg song. Of course I share extra eggs with them often.

 

[Hensofthehill]

A nasty neighbor discovered a gray area in the zoning law that didn't strictly define the laws around chicken-keeping, and he tried to exploit that to get the town to take my chickens away. After a prolonged battle that turned ugly, the town took my side and rewrote the laws to make it explicitly clear that chickens are not to be regulated. I haven't heard from that neighbor since (knock on wood... I still have PTSD and am too afraid to celebrate, because you never know with people like that). That's it though, everything else has been smooth sailing.

Which city was that in? I am a Russian speaker too.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Main issue I guess was being able to find a house we could afford that was in a chicken friendly area while still close to the technology hubs where hubby could find work. We moved for more reasons than just to get chickens, but they were on my lists of requirements when looking at properties.

 

[Brooks_]

Building the coop was most challenging for me. I know how to use a saw and all, I'm just not good at it. Fortunately, my mis-cuts were along seams that were planned to get trim wood over anyway. So, from the outside most everything looks intentional. Doors are wonky.

 

[3KillerBs]

Other -- We needed to get our housing and employment situation into a position where I wasn't working long hours and we weren't in the middle of trying to move.

Other -- the price of lumber while building the new coop.

Other -- finding the breeds we wanted when I couldn't order them but, instead, had to buy locally.