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Kelruss t1_j4wv9or wrote

Sec. 4-37.3. - Maximum chicken hens allowed. The owner of any dwelling may keep or permit to be kept on the lot containing the dwelling, one (1) hen per eight hundred (800) square feet of total lot area, with a maximum of six (6) on any lot, provided that:

(1) No person shall keep any rooster;

(2) All chicken hens must be provided with both a hen house (coop) and a fenced outdoor enclosure, subject to the following provisions: a. The hen house must be covered, predator resistant, and well-ventilated; b. The hen house must provide a minimum of two (2) square feet per chicken; c. The hen house must be kept clean, dry, and sanitary at all times; manure must be composted in enclosed bins; d. The hen house must be located upon a permeable surface that prevents waste run-off; e. The hen house must be located at least twenty (20) feet from any dwelling; f. The fenced outdoor enclosure must adequately contain the chicken hens; g. The fenced outdoor enclosure must be kept clean and sanitary at all times; manure must be composted in enclosed bins; h. The hen house must provide the chicken hens with adequate protection from the elements and inclement weather and provide for the chicken hens good health and prevent any unnecessary or unjustified suffering; and i. The owner of the hen(s) must be a resident of said dwelling.

(3) No hen house (coop) shall be built onto any shared fence;

(4) No chicken hens may be kept or raised within the dwelling.

(5) All chicken hens must be fed subject to the requirements of section 12-118, and feed must be stored securely;

(6) No chicken hen may be slaughtered except subject to the requirements of section 10-104 et seq. and of the zoning ordinance;

(7) All chicken hens are subject to the nuisance provisions set forth in section 4-47, subsections (2) and (3); and

(8) All chicken hens must be confined between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.

As used herein, "lot" shall mean one (1) or more parcels of land which are contiguous and are under the same ownership according to the tax assessor's records and which are zoned residential or are residential as a legal nonconforming use pursuant to the zoning ordinance.

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Kelruss t1_j4wyf75 wrote

I’ll be honest, reading this through made me want to get a tape measure out and check out where I could put a chicken coop and figure out how many chickens I could keep.

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Educational_Leg36 t1_j4x496u wrote

Honestly the ordinance is written more to prevent people from owning chickens without actually banning them.

To actually own a chicken and have it be "happy" you'll want for 1 chicken per about 100 square feet of free roaming space. Then have a ratio of 1.5chickens per 100sqft. You'll also want to have them free roam in dirt or grass or actual natural flooring as it allows them to forage. Chicken coops are simply a nesting/sleeping space, nothing crazy. Some milk crates in a corner with a roof and some branches Up top to let them perch and sleep. You'll want to cut the flight feathers off to prevent them from flying away, but after a few months of feeding and providing space nesting they will always come back after a while. You can play and socialize with them enough where they will recognize you and return affection. Some people do keep chickens and hens as pets with diapers indoors too.

Biggest thing especially in the city is keeping predators away. Rats, cats, possums, raccoons all will get Into your backyard and have a feast. And with how cheap chick's are or used to be, people can carelessly keep buying more and keep feeding the rats basically.

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Kelruss t1_j4xhc8i wrote

I mean, they were banned prior to this being passed in 2016, and the ordinance was passed with the support of people who wanted to own chickens, so I guess I’m skeptical that it’s written more to prevent people from owning chickens.

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Trawetser t1_j4zebbm wrote

It adds a bunch of hoops to jump through so that you really only end up with people owning chickens that are serious about it and will actually care for them.

That's my take on it, anyway

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RandomChurn t1_j4zreai wrote

>Some people do keep chickens and hens as pets

I went to BU and a guy in our dorm had a pet chicken 😆

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