The Coop that may never be...

[Kudzu]

Quote:
Yes, it is definitely VERY OPEN, which i think is a problem. we actually prefer it that way, but again, naive me, i think it would be better if we put up a big fence (grumble grumble)

Very nice coop. Check your covenants before you build a fence, you don't need another surprise.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Oh I LOVE your coop! So cute! I love the colors, too. I'm sad you have to change it. But, I don't know how you are going to get around the covenants. I have made amendments to our neighborhood covenants, and it takes a vote of 85% of owners to agree, and THEN you have to hire a lawyer to write them up, make sure there are no loop holes and file them at the court house. They are binding, and you can get sued if you don't get permission to do certain things on your own property. I had to go knock door to door and get written consent, and take it to the lawyer where then, it was mailed out to the entire neighborhood where it could be contested. It was an ordeal. I have a sinking feeling about you fighting your covenants... just knowing how binding they are in the eyes of the law. I sure hope you get to keep your babies. I think you might have gotten away with it, if you had a tall privacy fence to block your neighbor's view. But instead, some stinky neighbor has to go make trouble.

Love the picket fence idea with a garden. Who ever suggested adding a garden shed, that was a pretty good idea, too. It might help disguise it some. If you can't do a fence- the idea another poster said about creating a 'fence' with shrubs is a good idea, too. I'd look into adding some kind of pine tree or arborvitae, or something really dense that would hide your yard. I'm using Crepe Myrtles, vines on a trellis, and pines to help hide my yard from the neighbors. (we have that same open feel you have) Good luck and I hope it swings in your favor!

 

[Judy]

It is absolutely ridiculous that chickens are not considered a pet like a cat or dog. I see no reason why chickens should not be allowed anywhere a dog is, even roosters; barking dogs or whining pups are much more annoying to me than a rooster, and I love dogs, too.

In my opinion, obviously.

 

[calista]

Just curious: does your neighborhood allow children's playhouses in the back yards?

If so, I'd go along with the repainting, hold off on getting any chickens, talk up how much your kids love their new playhouse that they can pretend is a BARN, and then start planting dense shrubbery and/or a fence around your yard.

Once everybody loses interest, well, then...

(Something to consider, anyway, when there's so many who have admitted to stealth chicken-keeping.)

I, too, can't fathom why soft clucking of a few hens as family pets could ever be construed as neighborhood noise or mess when compared to family dogs and cats.

Good luck!

 

[FalcoOat]

thanks everyone for the good advice, and the nice feedback. after the stress of the 'developer's visit' it is really nice to hear some positive words. we were flying SO HIGH before all of that. i have literally spend the last month+ working all hours on this thing. when we called the developer to tell him we were painting it to comply, he was quiet for awhile and then asked about the chickens. My husband told him we don't have them yet but when we get them we view them as our pets and within the definition of the covenant. he refrained from saying anything after that, but we will see. I do know that of the surrounding neighbors we know and have talked to, they were/are all very excited! at this point i think we are going to do as much as we can to play down the coop (wow, i guess my bright colors was like painting a big red flag in our yard!!) but $$$ is a real issue at this point.

it is kind of ridiculous that this would be a problem. everyone around us has big barking dogs, which have never bothered me, so i don't know why on earth this would be a problem to anyone. Maybe it won't be, since the complaint that brought the developer was over the color. you have to think though if people can't handle a little color, they are gonna FLIP when they hear we have chickens!!

 

[Krunchy]

Quote:
African Ground Parrots! I just about spit water all over my desk.

after living in condo and fighting over how I park my car in the driveway (completely legal they were annoyed my car was small enough to fit.) I'll never do it again.

 

[Hawkeye95]

I was still thinking about this, because I'm so bothered about your problem! If you wanted to do something on the cheap, why not built a trellis fence along the back of your coop (that faces your neighbors) and then plant Honeysuckle, or Wisteria- something that will really take off and cover it up quickly? Not necessarily ON the coop- but a few feet back from it so you can still get around it. That would create some 'cover' or a sort of fence. I was just thinking that my Honeysuckle is AMAZING at covering and grows fast and wide, and high. I just keep tying it higher on my trellis (to train it to grow up) and it just keeps climbing! I bought it two years ago as a 6" plant (tiny!) and now it's 8 feet tall and about 4 feet wide. That might help??

 

[benjoycei]

repaint your house and go for the "ground parrots"!!!!

 

[FalcoOat]

Quote:
Thanks Hawkeye95... It is so sweet of you to write again. It does help me feel better knowing some people actually view this as a positive thing! The trellis idea is something I haven't thought of, and i like it. Now I just have to find an aggressive growing vine that can withstand northern plains high winds/cold weather!

 

[FalcoOat]

Quote:
HA! That IS funny! I did get a silkie... Maybe I should have just chosen that breed. It might be hard to come up with exotic names for the variety I ordered.

Btw... I see you are from Bloomington, IN! I grew up in Indiana, and both my husband and I studies at IU. We adore Bloomington!!!