Vague and conflicting HOA info

[BeeLadylike]

My husband and I recently purchased our first home where there is, unfortunately, an HOA. I have been dreaming of keeping hens and wanted y'all's opinions/interpretation of the CC&Rs. It states: (k) No animals shall be kept, maintained or quartered on any lot except that cats, dogs, and caged birds may be kept in reasonable numbers as pets for the pleasure of the occupants. All pets shall be properly leased, caged and/or fenced at all times.

Our house is in half an acre and the backyard where I would keep my coop is completely fenced.

What do you think? Also, in the contract with the seller, there is a part filled out by the previous homeowners that checked off breed/animal restrictions. The homeowners hand wrote "farm animals." The only thing I found in the official CC&Rs was what I shared above.

Crossing my fingers :/

 

[HEChicken]

I suspect they intended that to mean parakeets, canaries and finches vs. chickens, turkeys, guineas and ducks

You could plead ignorance/misunderstanding, get the hens and hope no one complains and that if they do, you can point to the wording you mentioned and state that you are in compliance.

Or you could consult the HOA up front. If you get approval, you'd be home and hosed.

 

[justplainbatty]

You might want to ask the HOA. Unfortunately, you signed off on "no farm animals". Despite County or State laws,or zoning and ordinances that could be in your favor, it gives the HOA a broad brush for determining what is and is not a farm animal or pet. I don't know where you live but MI has one of the most liberal farming laws in the nation under our "right to farm" act. Even so, you wouldn't beleive what happened to this MI resident. Read His article here https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/convicted-criminal-chickenkeeper. I wish the very best for you and hope you can keep chickens!

 

[bcAddy]

HEChicken is probably right about the types of birds. But that doesn't mean it couldn't cover your birds in a coop/run.

I made the mistake of going the ask for permission route with the HOA rather than forgiveness but we'll see if it saves me lots of trouble. Right now I am trying to write an amendment to our CC&Rs and then have the fun of getting 75% approval from the owners in the neighborhood.

Good luck.

 

[HEChicken]

Good luck to both of you! Before we bought our homestead, we lived in a city that allowed hens but no roosters. After a hen went broody and hatched some eggs, naturally I ended up with some cockerels. As soon as they started crowing, I butchered them, fearing that my neighbors would be upset and report me. However when I chatted to them, I found the opposite: they said they loved the sound of crowing - it reminded them of their childhoods growing up in rural areas (more than one neighbor). So sometimes neighbors will surprise you by how accepting they are of your backyard flock. I've never understand the bias against them personally. I'd rather a neighbor has chickens and I have to hear some crowing during the day, than have a neighbor with a dog that barks all night.

 

[PapaChaz]

I totally agree with that sentiment about dog barking all night. Something else too, I don't have a dog, but I step in as much dog poo as anyone up and down our road because they come through at night and leave me free (unwanted) fertilizer.........