Whoops! It IS Illegal. :( Discreet Chicken Keeping Tips?

[robinaggie]

Mine are illegal, too. But until someone reports me, I'm OK. The City Code Enforcement Officer said that the biggest reason chickens get reported is smell. She said she's had reports on as few as ONE chicken smelling. That could have been an excuse, but if you keep your place clean and quiet, what can anybody complain about?

There was a front page story in the Houston Chronicle a week or so ago about chickens. Houston allows as many as 30 chickens per household! THAT is an urban chicken.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I think any ordinance or code can be construed just about anyway someone with a gripe wants it to be construed...in other words, if someone has a complaint against your chickens or mine, they can search hard enough and twist the rhetoric in any ordinance or code and make issue of it...so don't worry too much about it...get your chickens and use good sanitary practices and of course no roos. My chickens meet city ordinance and we live in an older neighborhood with no covenants but if someone wanted to complain I am sure they could make issue...what they will NOT like afterwards though, if they do make formal complaint ... will be the new arrival of the loudest, most aggravating YAPPY mouthed dog I can find!!!!!!! They will WISH for the peaceful once a dy egg cackle from a few hens

Enjoy your covert chickens!!

 

[Guitartists]

yeah, I would say...don't have a "coop"

LOL

 

[d.k]

* um, yeah-- nothing ambiguous about that code language, is there??? Guess that's why they call it "code". (Ed: "Privy or vault not watertight"???? WHEN was this thing written, 1816???)

 

[goldnchocolate]

This little excerpt is from The City Chicken site:

Are chickens better bird-pets than parrots? Let's hear from you. I'll get you started: 1. Chickens can be kept outside unlike parrots, which are tropical birds that are usually kept indoors. 2. Chickens can be kept outside or inside! You can get bantams that grow to be about the size of a parrot, and can keep them in a cage the size of a rabbit hutch. 3. Chickens are omnivorous and can eat whatever you eat; parrots can't. 4. Chickens lay eggs which you can eat; parrots don't do that. 5. Parrots have very loud voices and shrieks; chickens don't. 6. Neither chickens nor parrots can be potty-trained very well, but chickens produce enough poop to be used in your garden. 7. Parrots are expensive to buy; chickens start at $1.99 per chick. 8. Parrots can bite really really hard! Chickens can only peck, and they can't hold on with their beaks like parrots can. 9. Chickens will even perch on your arm, just like a parrot. Send in your other ideas. No offense to parrots! All in good fun.

Here is another link to the same site. It tells the city codes for various cities around the country:
http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/chickenlaws.html

I think that there is a bantam version of a barred rock, it would be the same as anyone who keeps a bird in the house. My chickens are housed in my garage, they do create a lot of dust but I have lots of chickens. I don't think 2 or 3 would be a problem.

 

[Richard]

I live in Antioch IL which is lake county I dont know what county you are in . I have just over an acre of land .According to the county if you have 2 acres you can have a horse but to have a chicken you need 5 acres. They did tell me thou that they dont inforce that code unless someone complains.So what I did was just talk to my neighbors they had no problems with my chickens as long as I keep them in my yard and they dont crow and they get some eggs once in awhile
Quote:

 

[CarriBrown]

I think it's common for illegal chicken keepers to have Silkies, which look nothing like your normal barnyard chicken. They can't fly or roost up high like a normal chicken, so they can be kept in a shorter (not smaller, just not as tall) area.
Oblio13 has a great set up... I would try and build a coop like that.

 

[rooster0209]

That is what really bothers me about city ordinances. You buy the house, lot etc and are paying for it! but they can regulate what you can and cannot do on your own property; assuming you arent ruining the neighborhood or being disruptive.

I say, keep your chickens, keep your "coop" clean to minimize the smell. You can always build a small "kennel" by the garage and have a doggie door for them to go in/out of the garage. Inside of the garage build the nesting boxes and shelter. If you dont have a privacy fence, plant some view obstructing plants & lattice to create a secluded "sitting area" (so no one sees the chickens out in the kennel) and go about your own business.

 

[SpottedCrow]

House chickens
House chickens
lay on the rug
(sung to the tune of beach baby )

You should be fine if you keep the place clean...

 

[Yanna]

I went through the ordinances again and the zoning section spells it out pretty clearly. One day, I may approach the city council about removing the language from the zoning and nuisance sections because in the animal section it clearly identifies odor and noise as being the problem - not the breed of the animal (unless you have a panther or a pony). The rat control section of the code also addresses any issue of rat infestation caused by conditions on the property, so there's really no need to exclude rabbits, poultry or pigeons from city limits. People go code-happy when they're voted on to the city council, it seems!

We went to the feed store this morning to get supplies ahead of time for our Barred Rock chicks (who arrive next Thursday) and ended up coming home with unidentified bantams. I assumed they were pullets but neglected to confirm this amid the chaos. This feed store had a huge selection of enormous, very vocal pigeons (which are legal here).

This is Illinois, after all - maybe I should line the chicken coop with $20 bills "just in case"