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News & ArtsMonday, August 16, 2010
City / Chow Urban Farming Rules Pass: Your Neighbor May Now Have Eight Chickens in the Yard Next to Your Bed
Posted by Riya Bhattacharjee on Mon, Aug 16, 2010 at 5:38 PM
- Flickr/Hans S.
- Count your chickens
The council, which was heavily lobbied by chicken advocates, allowed the number of urban chickens to increase from three to eight per lot, with additional chickens possible in urban farms and community gardens. The new rules required that chicken coops be set up ten feet away from residences. Existing chicken coops can remain where they are.
Less fortunate are urban roosters, tolerated under older rules, which have been banned from the city for good. Council member Sally Bagshaw, who grew up close to a farm and spent a year in a "situation where we had roosters at three in the morning" said she was glad to see them go.
Council Member Tom Rasmussen reminded everyone that existing roosters had been grandfathered in so that they could "live their lives in dignity and peace."
The ordinance also formally recognizes farmers markets, which will help them to open in more places around the city, and allows food production on rooftop greenhouses with a 15 feet height exemption in a number of higher density zones.
The full set of dos and don'ts can be viewed here.
But a word of warning: If you grow veggies on a planting strip within 30 feet of a street corner, make sure you keep them trimmed to 24 inches or you might get into trouble like Eastlake resident Mary Hansen, who was warned by the City of Seattle that her tall rose bushes and other flora were dangerous for the line of sight of drivers and violated city code. Hansen tried to fight the city by collecting petitions, but the city finally prevailed.
1
Detroit is the 21st century.
Other obsolete cities must follow.
Brick turns into farm.
Building into park.
Condo into homestead.
2
I've only known one couple to do this. They almost burned their house down when the heat lamp fell and caused a fire.
5
I've been in a fight with my mother over chickens in chicago for the last couple months. I really don't want chickens in my backyard. I don't think she understands the work that having chickens will entail, she's expecting our backyard tenants to take care of the chickens because they want chickens- but they can hardly pay rent and have rather busy lives, I doubt they're going to put much effort towards the chickens.
7
Chickens are really easy to keep. I used to have 21. I'd much rather have hens next door than a barking dog.
8
Chicken poo is gross, eggs are cheap. Plus, they draw predators, even in urban settings, I'd imagine. Why not just support your local farmers' market?
9
Chickens are awesome pets/breakfast providers... And low maintenance too, maybe 5 minutes a day. Not only do you get eggs but your veggies will never look better thanks to the compost. Mine love to snuggle too, which has become an unexpectedly nice way to end crappy days :)
10
Pets with fringe benefits.
Unlike my dog and my cat, my hens provide breakfast. I am unable to bring myself to eat puppies and kittens.
Unlike my dog and my cat, my hens provide breakfast. I am unable to bring myself to eat puppies and kittens.
13
Questions to all the chicken owners.
How loud are the chickens?
Roosters are the ones who crow with sunrise correct?
I was wondering if the board members who voted on this had 8 chickens in their neighbors yards would the noise (or lack of noise if I am wrong) have changed their votes?
Just curious.
Best,
Drew
How loud are the chickens?
Roosters are the ones who crow with sunrise correct?
I was wondering if the board members who voted on this had 8 chickens in their neighbors yards would the noise (or lack of noise if I am wrong) have changed their votes?
Just curious.
Best,
Drew
14
@13: Rooster crow pretty much all day long and sometimes at night if something wakes them up.
Hens are usually pretty quiet unless something scares them - then they can make quite a ruckus for about a minute or so. But mine do that less than once a day - much less often than the neighbor's dog barks. And it's not as loud as a barking dog.
@8: Canuck, dogs and cats draw predators just as well - in my neighborhood cats and small dogs get eaten more than any other domestic animal. My chickens never have been prey since they are locked up at night.
Chicken poo is not nearly as gross as the poo from a similar number of cats or dogs, plus you can use it in the garden once it has aged.
Nowadays I do support my local farmer's market since my hens are very old and only lay a few eggs a year, but I will never buy cheep supermarket eggs again, knowing the disgusting condition battery hens are kept in.
Hens are usually pretty quiet unless something scares them - then they can make quite a ruckus for about a minute or so. But mine do that less than once a day - much less often than the neighbor's dog barks. And it's not as loud as a barking dog.
@8: Canuck, dogs and cats draw predators just as well - in my neighborhood cats and small dogs get eaten more than any other domestic animal. My chickens never have been prey since they are locked up at night.
Chicken poo is not nearly as gross as the poo from a similar number of cats or dogs, plus you can use it in the garden once it has aged.
Nowadays I do support my local farmer's market since my hens are very old and only lay a few eggs a year, but I will never buy cheep supermarket eggs again, knowing the disgusting condition battery hens are kept in.
15
My buddy is a city councilman near Atlanta. They had a huge battle over chickens, and chickens are currently not allowed in the back yards. He didn't really care, but never wanted to see this battle fought again. I sent him this as a joke. One of the guys pushing for chickens sent it to him as a battle cry!
My sister had free range chickens well north of the city. They did good until one of them had chicks- about 12 of them. Then the hawks came. Tore my sister's heart out. All of them ended up gone. Everyday there would be another missing. It was a like golden arches had been erected over her house.
My sister had free range chickens well north of the city. They did good until one of them had chicks- about 12 of them. Then the hawks came. Tore my sister's heart out. All of them ended up gone. Everyday there would be another missing. It was a like golden arches had been erected over her house.
16
Most excellent! Cougars really enjoy the taste of fresh chicken as do coyotes. A most positive development in our city to be sure!
17
Hens are so quiet, I don't know why anyone would care. My neighbors have them and I hear a little bok bok every few days and that's about it.
18
You are a bad neighbor if your dog is constantly barking or waking people up in the early morning. The same goes for neighbors with roosters.
20
@14: Agree on all counts. plus..
1) Home chicken eggs taste way better than store-bought (fresher and lower stress, I guess);
2) Chickens past their laying prime (3-4 years) can be donated to the zoo for the lions to rip apart.
1) Home chicken eggs taste way better than store-bought (fresher and lower stress, I guess);
2) Chickens past their laying prime (3-4 years) can be donated to the zoo for the lions to rip apart.
21
"Domestic fowl and structures housing them must be kept at least 10 feet away from any other lot in a residential zone."
The key word is LOT, not house or residence, so that appears to disqualify many urban residential properties. I was seriously considering a coop for 3-4 hens, but the only place to situate it would be in a corner of our back yard (we have high privacy fences). And a technical reading of the new ordinance means one could not 'free range' their chickens, unless they stay 10 ft or more from property lines.
Urban farming has become a joke; real farmers must be laughing their asses off.
The key word is LOT, not house or residence, so that appears to disqualify many urban residential properties. I was seriously considering a coop for 3-4 hens, but the only place to situate it would be in a corner of our back yard (we have high privacy fences). And a technical reading of the new ordinance means one could not 'free range' their chickens, unless they stay 10 ft or more from property lines.
Urban farming has become a joke; real farmers must be laughing their asses off.
22
I share a house with 12 children under five-years-old Monday through Friday, where I've been running a preschool for years. We all share the same space with a teenager Great Dane (who does not bark in the early morning or at night, only midday, when the children are napping). I'm accustomed to lots of commotion and lots of poo. If I add eight chickens will all that additional poo push me over the edge?
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