SoCal's Newest Member Here!

[IDriveAMinivan]

We are a family of five who lives in a suburb of Southern California (Murrieta) where we can't keep chickens...legally. It appears that there are plenty of people who have chickens in my town - and I want to know how they do it! Having attended an agricultural college in the northeast, I find myself drawn to that farmy kind of lifestyle. Although at first, I didn't care for it during that sweltering Indian summer as the freshman dorms were located just adjacent to the pig farm. We don't have any chickens because my butthead of a neighbor will call the city on us. In the meantime, I'll read/research all I can and I'll keep fantasizing about my dream coop with all my dream chickens.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Welcome to BYC! I hope one day you get the chance to live out your dream

 

[LIChickens]

Welcome to BYC!

You will find a lot of good information here. Keep on asking questions and you will get many good answers.

You may also want to read the FAQ below.

I would urge you to investigate how you can change local laws. There is a forum devoted to that here.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Hope you can have chickens someday soon!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

They are obviously getting away with it if the neighbors are ok with it. You might talk to these people that keep chickens to see what they know. Maybe this law is not all that strong and you can keep them if you keep them quiet, clean and don't let them roam into the neighbors prized flower beds.

Good luck and I hope you can keep some chickens as well!

 

[liz9910]

try posting in this forum: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/37/local-chicken-laws-amp-ordinances-and-how-to-change-them I hope you can get chickens soon.

 

[drumstick diva]

You may be able to get away with a couple bantams or small breeds as house pets. There is a thread "people with house chickens," and the numbers are growing. Seramas for instance are about the size of a cockatiel, silkies, don't look like chickens. From afar they look like little foo foo dogs especially the white ones.

 

[IDriveAMinivan]

Thank you, all, for your warm welcome! I would be consumed by worry if I had to subversively house chickens on our lot. We are over the minimum lot size requirement but not the distance to house/property line requirements. I am hoping that we will be able to move to a more chicken-friendly community. I had not thought of trying to actually change the ordinances. It really gives me something to think about.

@TwoCrows If I knew the people who were keeping them, I would definitely talk to them. I only hear from feed store employees that folks in town are keeping them because they are getting sold out of chicks each week.

@drumstick diva I hadn't considered bantams (cute as they are) for house pets because I do want chickens for egg production (and as pets, too!)

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Hope you are able to get chickens somehow! Most standard breeds also come in bantam, and ones like leghorns and other non-setters are usually still pretty good layers even if the eggs are small.
Fun thread on house chickens ... https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/299187/people-with-house-chickens

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. I certainly hope things will work out so you can get some chickens in the near future. Good luck.