Urban chickens?
Anybody got the straight dope on having chickens in the hood?
I was wondering if you have any familiarity with the city’s codes regarding chicken coops in residential areas. I’ve heard/seen them in the neighbhorhood before, as well as in the Fan and Oregon Hill, but I can’t find any info on the city website. Thanks!
The code of the City of Richmond says that you can’t have chickens unless you have A Very Big Yard, but doesn’t say what happens if you get caught.
Sec. 10-88. Keeping and running at large of hogs, pigs and fowl.
(a) No hog or pig shall be kept on any premises or allowed to go at large within the city, provided that hogs and pigs may be kept at the Maymont Park as educational exhibitions.
(b) No person shall keep, place or maintain fowl on any parcel of real property in the city which contains less than 50,000 square feet in area.
(c) All fowl shall be kept in securely and suitably fenced areas, and no fenced area or pen for fowl shall be permitted closer than 500 feet to any house or other building used for residential purposes by anyone other than the person maintaining such fowl or such person’s immediate family.
(d) Every person maintaining any area for keeping fowl shall keep it clean, sanitary and free from refuse. All feed or other material intended for consumption by birds shall be kept in containers impenetrable by rats or other rodents, and such containers shall be equipped with tightly fitting caps or lids. The presence of rats in an area used for the keeping of fowl shall be prima facie evidence that such area is maintained in violation of this section.
(Code 1993, § 4-34)
State Law References: Running at large, Code of Virginia, § 3.1-796.94:1.
What happens if you get caught? Is the city at all aggressive about policing this? Is there interest in seeing the laws change?
I was told the IF an animal control officer sees your chickens he or she can remove them from the premises immediately.I have not heard of this happening and it is my understanding that there aren’t enough animal control officers as it is. I see more and more city chickens in our future, it will definitely be interesting to see how it all plays out.
There’s a group in town that’s been attempting to push for changes to the requirement for having chickens. They have a FB page if you’re interested:
http://www.facebook.com/chickunz
It’s a class 4 misdemeanor, which is punishable by a fine of up to $250 each day.
If the city was aggressive about policing this, I would think the lady with the geese would owe millions of dollars in fines at this point.
My neighbor used to keep chickens and pigeons. They were not pets – he harvested the eggs and made stew from the pigeons.
The goose lady keeps them as PETS. That is why she is allowed to have them.
Allowed? The don’t see where the law above makes any such distinction.
There’s an “I keep them as pets” exception under this code section? I’d like to keep an elephant in my backyard please. As a pet, of course.
I understand that everyone thinks the geese are cute; but, the fact is that she’s in violation of the law. Her having them doesn’t personally affect me, so I don’t care if the city chooses to ignore her violation. I might think differently if I lived next door though.
It’s called discretion and it should be used more often. Imagine if there was no discretion — all laws would become like the “zero tolerance” policies they use in schools regarding weapons. Then your bird house, concrete duck and your plastic pink flamingos would all be in violation. haha
I believe the goose lady was taken to court years ago. She was allowed to keep them I was told because they are not livestock but her pets.
Pets? I though her defense was they were her love slaves? You know, the long neck and all….
Wow. And Mrs. Bridgeforth thought drying clothes on the hedges was in poor taste. Wait until she gets a load of this. I wonder how saving dogs and gassing chickens will mesh.
There’s a pretty strong movement nationwide to allow chickens in urban locations. Hopefully Virginia will not be too far behind the curve on this one.
The only good goose is covered with an orange sauce.
There is a blog covering efforts to change the laws in Henrico and a Facebook group in support of the rva chikunz:
Then I want a freakin cow so I can be more sustainable… come on folks, farm animals belong on farms
#13 That’s duck!
Don’t forget chickens stink badly when kept in a coop (where they have to be at night) and if you have a rooster everyone within earshot will be up early. Even on the weekends!
Difference between urban goose-owners and urban chicken-owners:
People who keep urban chickens usually don’t let them walk around in an urban neighborhood pooping everywhere or allow them to terrorize children and small dogs.
My friends in the city who have chickens have them confined, and they don’t smell or cause any problems. The key is to not have a rooster:)
I have neighbors who keep chickens. I have a neighbor who keeps geese. I also have neighbors who come home drunk at 4am and neighbors who shoot guns in the air. Can you guess which are the bigger nuisance?
I COULD NOT CARE LESS if anyone keeps small animals. Pigs, cows, goats? Yes now you’re getting out of hand. But our current situation isn’t a problem, so why are you making it one?
Out of curiousity, I just tried to google “urban chickens” and google gave me these choices for location: Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, Albuquerque, Los Angeles, Louisville, Seattle, and Charlotte NC. Interesting, must be a lot of interest in those cities in urban chickens, so I’m not surprised there’s interest in Richmond.
And in defense of the geese and the goose lady; I walked past last weekend and she had them set up out on her porch. When I stopped to take a photo, they got defensive and started honking a little. I shusshed them and reassured them, and they settled right down. They weren’t aggressive at all, unlike several neighborhood dogs, who, per the previous complaint, do indeed make a mess out of our sidewalks with no repercussion to them or the owners at all. If there’s a crackdown on animal husbandry in the city, they can start with the dog owners.
My humble opinion!
There are reasonable ordinances for urban chickens. A previous owner of my house had a horse until the 1950s. Most of the surviving “carriage houses” in Church Hill are actually cow sheds. There had been farm animals in cities until the 1960s. It can be done and it can be done in a sanitary way.
I just talked to someone who lives out in Varina and has chickens (legally). Apparently a rooster isn’t necessary unless you are trying to have baby chicks. Laying hens lay eggs based on the amount of daylight, and can be encouraged to lay even during short winter days by having a hen house with lights in it. The guy also said he knows there are lots of people across the country interested in urban chickens, and many localities that allow for them (agreeing with #22).
I wish the folks luck in Richmond and surrounding areas with getting some sort of ordinance out that allows for urban chix – my humble opinion!
I love the geese! They look ‘atcha kinda funny at first, but I’ve fed them out of my hand before, and they’ll give ya a kiss on the lips if you’re nice to them!
I live right behind the goose lady and they have never been an annoyance, ever! In fact, I consider them one of the more awsome and unique additions to the neighborhood.
As someone who grew up on a farm with lots of chickens, I’ll testify that a small number of WELL KEPT chickens with a RESPONSIBLE OWNER could easily be kept in an urban setting with out causing harm to anyone. Roosters, however can be both aggressive and quite annoying.
Key West lets them freely roam the streets, Heck, all they are is just a bigger, tastier, bird.
I’m way more worried about the idiot, irresponsible dog owners around here than a few chickens!
This is why I keep my ostrich inside.
Just curious, why is it so many urban dwellers hate animals?
This discussion reminds me of the Yuppie blond with her little girl in the front seat who drew a bead with her big SUV on a mother duck and her chicks as they crossed Huguenot Road last year and mowed them down.
What was the point of that?
Hens lay really well for about a year and then lay less and less. When they lay too few you can kill and eat them. I kept chickens year ago and never got used to killing them but some may find it easier.
Lisa #27, the guy I was talking to yesterday said his layed (or is it laid?!) for a several years then slacked off. He’s down to two chickens now, they’re maybe four years old, gets a few eggs now and then, and can’t stand to kill them even though he does hunt and fish. He’s just letting them live out their lives as chickens, apparently they’ll live five or even six or seven years.
#26 I don’t get dislike of urban animals either. The opposite of your story is when the ducks were crossing Dock Street last spring one evening during commute time, and we all stopped our cars to allow them to get to the canal safely.
Well. If I’d known chickens on the Hill might be an option, I wouldn’t have sold and moved to the country to keep a few.
Jesse’s right. A few well kept hens could very easily be housed in an urban yard. And with less mess and damage than your average dog. Get a few of the fancy blue-egg layers for some upscale charm. As former neighbors, you’ll all welcome to come out to Hanover and check out our flock:)
Acutally, I loved hearing the rooster. I thought it was so cool – like I had a little bit of the country right in the middle of the city.
http://www.comcast.net/video/feline-grim-reaper/1403719344/Comcast/949720224/
I never would have guessed 31 (32 now) comments on chickens and geese!
We had a flock of about 14 or 15 until about 2 years ago. We kept them for about a year and a half or so before animal control forced us to get rid of them. We rounded them up and took them to a farm owned by the parents of one of our son’s classmates. They ran loose during the day, produced great eggs, and kept the insect population in check. In hindsite, we had too many roosters, we should have killed all but one or two. I’d be interested in getting the law changed. As far as I’m concerned, chickens provide many benefits if kept properly.
I’m writing an article on the growing interest (nationwide and locally) in backyard chickens. If anyone’s interested in sharing their side of the story, please email me at kathoustoun[at]gmail.com.
I am “the goose lady” and I do not understand the venomous comments made about my geese. I think if a person wants to comment they should do so accurately and not make up stuff and hide behind a fake name! I invite anyone or anything who has been “terrorized” by my geese to confront me in an adult way. I do not know who commented in my defense, but I would like to thank you!! When you walk by and the geese make noise, they are not being aggressive, they want to be sociable and talk to you and have you talk to them.
My close neighbors love the geese and the geese love them.
Ms. McDaniel,
i don’t even live near you and still love your geese. i applaud your retaining your right to keep yours as pets. pro-urban chickens, ducks and geese here .. all for laying no fryers (tragic)
sometimes some people just get carried away when they feel they’re in a group and may kid around more than they would face to face. don’t bare them any mind. i say Yea for You! let your geese know people love them.