So.
Silly me. I just assumed chickens were not allowed.
I went through the HOA guidelines today and read this:
“No animals or reptiles of any kind shall be kept on the properties, except that of dogs, cats, or other household pets may be kept on any lot. No animal may be kept, bred, or maintained for any commercial purpose.”
Couldn’t a couple of HEN’s be considered household pets? According to Wikipedia they are.
I’m pretty sure I could place an Eglu {that has a height of just 31″} behind the garden beds. They wouldn’t be visible AT ALL FROM THE ROAD.
Hmmm.
What do YOU think?
~Mavis
SHARE:
Kathy Gardner says
Yes! Chickens could be pets with benefits (eggs).
Misty Hill says
Yes! You should keep your chickens. ☺
Penny says
My concerns for you in the HOA issue is that hens can and do get quite noisy clucking after egg laying or even while waiting their turns to go in and lay…my girls are lovely, but can get quite squawk y. So you might have neighbors that would complain if they are the grumpy type…also some chickens can be flighty and go over fences and then you have another problem. Even after clipping wings on my Delawares they can still go over a 6 ft fence…perhaps small bantams (love my silky’s) or my new favorite adorable tiny ones are the sea bright breeds we have 2 and they are tiny, I mean tiny even full grown and they lay the most adorable delicious edible eggs. Super hand friendly because we held them constantly as babies. They can be kept inside in a cage on an enclosed porch or garage in the winter. We have a cage on wheels and I roll it out of our shed and open the little door…they do their thing all day long in the back yard…at night they fly up to the open door of the cage and go in I shut door and roll it back into the shed. It protects them from the elements and other critters…winter they fair good in Florida and summer we keep a ceiling fan on in the shed for coolness. they have their roost box they go into and they are really a joy. Perhaps you could start with the little sea brights and go from there. Good luck in endeavors.
Carla says
Go for it Mavis.
Julie Ann says
If you are going to start the chick/hen venture from scratch (yes, I had to do the pun 😉 ), you might most effectively strengthen your side by getting them chicken diapers and letting them come inside from time to time.
The tamer they are, the stronger the ‘household pet’ title is for you. Here in my small town AZ, chickens are NOT considered livestock, but pets (under a certain crazy-huge number). And pets have more intrinsic value than livestock.
Name ’em, “spoil ’em (like you do 🙂 ), open your doors, and catch their potty. Maybe get a purse and take one in a store with you once in a while like old ladies and their Chihuahuas.
Well, maybe that’s too far?
Karin says
According to zoning regulations in most cities and towns chickens are considered livestock. Unfortunately it doesn’t matter if you only have a few and you consider them household pets. Many cities are are changing their regulations to allow a few chickens but most still outlaw them. If your HOA rules don’t specify chickens it may be be a judgement call by your HOA (this is probably NOT good news 🙂 Most places still won’t consider a chicken to be a household pet, which I think is terrible because I LOVE my pet chickens!
Rosaleen says
I’d check to see if my TOWN considers chickens as livestock or pets, then proceed from there. Does anyone know if the shelters/runs pictured here an at Wikipedia offer any protection from wildlife such as foxes and coyotes? We have plenty here. Bears are sometime seen within maybe 20 miles. If a bear goes after a chicken in one of these little runs, bye, bye, chicken…
Hazel says
The Eglus and runs are sold as fox proof (they sell a lot to cities where urban foxes are an issue) but they’re based in the UK so I’ve no idea about coyotes and raccoons. And as you said, I don’t think anything is bear proof…
kcb says
Our HOA rules mentions no chickens. Our neighborhood is small lots (7,000 sq ft or less). That said, our HOA never enforces any rules anyway. Your HOA sounds like they like to enforce rules! We could use them here.
Maria says
Do you have a person who runs the HOA? Maybe if you talked to the leader and got them on your side and didn’t have a rooster and they didn’t run the neighborhood eating and pooping?
Chris says
Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. If someone questions it, offer them an omelette.
RebeccaW says
Absolutely get the chickens – – – Lucy will love you all the more for it!
Teresa says
I live within the city limits (no HOA) Oregon outside Portland. As long as no roosters are involved we can have chickens. Rabbits are okay too. Just make nice with your neighbors on either side, bribe them with eggs and go for it! Your closest neighbors are the most likely to rat you out.
Forgiveness before permission.
Deb K. says
Check you City Ordinance. Ours specifically states you can have up to four chickens as pets. Anymore and it is then counted as “livestock”.
Sabrina says
Per City Code:
S. “Livestock” means animals including, but not limited to, all equine (horse, mule), bovine (cattle), porcine (swine), caprine (goats), ovine (sheep), camelid (camel, llama, alpaca), ratitae (ostrich, emu, rhea), domesticated poultry, game birds and waterfowl (as authorized by the state of Washington), or federally-permitted fowl and other pen-raised fowl, or other animals raised primarily for use as food or fiber for human utilization or consumption.
Carrie says
I have 4 hens and they are my only pets. The only folks in my neighborhood that know I have them are the folks right next door and behind me but I also don’t have an HOA and my city allows hens in the city limites. We all have chain-link fences so there isn’t any hiding opportunities for me. I gifted a neighbor some eggs this week and he had no idea I had them. He did say he heard some strange bird noises recently… But I’d say most people wouldn’t notice the egg songs and just think it was a noisy crow.
Vickie says
I love reading your blog. I live on 232acres in Missouri and you’ve taught me a lot about hoa’s. We have 5 barn cats, 1 eighty five pound german shepherd house/cattle dog, and a cattle herd. I cannot imagine asking permission to use my own stuff.
Michelle says
Amen!
Michelle says
I wondered when the fun police would come after you for having them…tell ’em to mind their own business!
Dana Conroy says
HHhhahhahahha!!! The fun police !!!!! Hhhhahahahah
I have a chick next door that hates my adorrrrable sweet homey chickens. No kidding .. I open the french doors to the backyard every evening and they come in to perch on stools and watch me work, until they fall asleep.
Along these same lines… my son just got hosed by a hose while watering the backyard and is now sporting a black eye. My daughter relishes relish since our last backyard bbq.
Gotta laugh and enjoy the lunacy :))
Melissa says
You’ve probably already checked, but gig harbor municipal code chapter 6.04.020 defines livestock and pets….chickens really COULD fit in either – domesticated fowl are mentioned in the list of livestock BUT the list describes those animals on it as being raised primarily for human consumption or as food – which these chickens would not be obviously. The definition of pets mentions that birds “suitable to living in companionship with humans” would be on that list….. I say why not – you have a back up foster home if things didn’t work out for the chickens’ sake – now the question is whether buying one of those little portable coops is a “necessary” exception for your spending goals this year 😉
Lyra says
You don’t strike me as the sort to roll over when the going gets tough – so assume that the going will be easy and deal with the tough if you get there. Besides, it is SO FUN to read about your chicken rearing and Lucy’s help!
Cenith says
Go for it!
Heidi says
No one will probably see them in the area you are looking to put them. But they sure will hear them.
T.J. says
Go for it. They will probably be relived you aren’t changing anymore plants or trees.
Pat from clackamas says
I think you should become a member of thE HOA. Think ” infiltrate”!!!! Then become one of the “buddies”. You then proceed up the chain of command, quickly!! After all you don’t have very much time!!! A lot of baked goods all around should help!! Then just slip it through a quick vote, maybe when the other members are out of town or sick!! Yep, that should do it!!.
Pat
Erin says
A woman sued my county to be allowed to keep a pot bellied pig as a pet and the winning point for her was that she bought its food at a pet store thereby making it a pet.
Before we got our city to change the chicken laws (yes I am the crazy chicken lady of Rockledge, FL), I was allowed to keep them in my garage and take them outside for sunshine like other pet birds. The “pet” argument is a winner in many cities.
Knowing your HOA though, it’s just a matter of time before they insist you get rid of them and “clarify” the bylaws to say no chickens.
mandy says
They’re definately pets. If people can have birds in cages in their homes (and in warm weather on their patios), there is nothing wrong with having “birds” in your yard. If they’re in a cage at night, all the better to make the comparison with.
jane says
My HOA rules allowed “2 caged birds” and they still made me get rid of my 2 chickens. My Eglu wasn’t visible from the road but my snitch neighbor strained to look over my 6′ fence and turned me in to the HOA police. It was either get a lawyer and fight them or risk my non-compliance with their rules to hold up my being able to sell my home. I finally sold and got out of that HOA and now I’m on 5 acres in the country. I’ll NEVER live in a HOA community again.
Cari says
I say go for it! Your HOA is pretty out of touch if they haven’t heard about the urban farming/ backyard chickens trends yet. Maybe they won’t even be able to recognize what a chicken looks like.
For the chickens’ sake, just have a network of potential adoptive families if you get caught be the you-know-whos.
Jenn in Indiana says
I think it’s a great idea, but I bet you would get busted in about 30 seconds.
Sarah Siskin says
A diaper and shopping in a purse.
Sign me up
Connie says
Two words Mavis … Do. It. 🙂
NolaM says
Get a few quail. They start laying by 6 weeks.
300 eggs plus a year, a bag of food lasts a year.
One male, 2-3 females. In a rabbit cage.
They are quiet, funny, smart.
They love watching TV and mooching snacks.
You can train a 3 day old to stay in their area.
I leave the cage door open all day.
They come out and have their sand bath.
Go back in when they are done.
We also have a 3 yr old condo chicken.
She speaks and understands English
Potty trained to a boot tray on the balcony.
But if I had it to do over… Corturnix or Japanese quail.
Adam Kelker says
Just wondering if you were allowed to have your chickens.
Bellavista Arkansas POA has their rules in the same language and I don’t see how they could prevail in court. It’s full of loopholes and anyone that had the money to challange would most likely win.
The only challange might be the word nuisance in which case, like dogs, they make stinky poop and plenty of noise.