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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.
Ha! Those geese keep creeps from stealing our stuff. They are great watchdogs. We’ll give them their yard back soon Jean.
If we are going to ignore the zoning laws I say we
Bring Back Urban Goats!
ms. mcdaniel you know how you can tell a chpn anonymous blogger? They are the ones who ALMOST said something once to a real person! Dont talk trash……unless you have the decency to do it to someones face. Inconsequential conversation….fine keep your pen name. Tough guy wannabees ….you are a joke and not worthy of any respect. Funny how I never hear any of the haters holding forth in public….but we all know why, huh ,cowardly lions?See you sad little folks around the neighborhood…..thats right …keep walking with your tails between your legs…it helps the real people in the neighborhood tell who you are!
Then again many people choose to live in the city specifically because they don’t want to deal with livestock or varied animal life on a regular basis.
Dammit! I bet you people will complain about the petting zoo and unicorns too!
Nicole, does anybody actually choose to live in the city primarily to get away from livestock?? For me, living far away from agriculture is a turn-off. It would be incredible to see a non-profit like Tricycle Gardens start a modest urban livestock farm in CH or UH…
P.S. – I’m a huge fan of the Grace Street Geese:)
JD, the short answer is yes.
chickens are every where, it’s like they’re taking over! Except, you know, they’re just birds…
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/dining/hatching-your-own-batch-of-eggs.html
Nicole, just stay away from all rural areas, state and county fairs and Key West Fl and you should be (mostly) safe from all that dirty, dirty nature.
You might be happier in New Jersey, they have the northern part of that place mostly beaten into submission, just a thought.
All Bark,
I love the Key West chickens!
There is one urban goat that I know of in CH. He lives in the 200 block of N 29th. I’ve seen him in the back yard twice in the past month. In fact, for just a brief moment, I thought he was a unicorn. 🙂
I was speaking to a friend in Milwaukee, where urban chickens are legal. An owner simply pays the city a fee of $35 to obtain a chicken keeping license. Seems like a good way to generate some revenue for the city and to regulate the chicken keepers. That being said, it would be yet another tax on people for something as basic as keeping a few birds in the yard. Still, unless Richmond is gonna get something out of the deal, it’s probably not in their interest to change the law.
@#46 If animal control is reading this thread, you just sent them all the relevant info to search out and confiscate that goat. Until it’s legal, vagueness in these matters keeps the government away from people who are really just minding their own business with their illegal backyard livestock/pets/magical animals…
What does the city code say about unicorns anyway? Theres been a lot of talk about them on this site lately.
Anyone have any info on keeping chupacabras in crawl spaces? (I don’t let mine out often or they’d be over on N 29th looking for a snack.) What about yetis in garden sheds?
Oh, and Mr. Corbett (if that’s your real name ;p ) . When are you gonna let that anonymous blogger thing rest? You’re obviously intelligent and have opinions on many things, what are your feelings on keeping chickens (and/or unicorns) in Richmond?
Just for the sake of anybody researching this, here’s the other thread on this site on this subject (chikunz, not unicornz):
http://chpn.net/news/2011/06/14/should-we-be-able-to-have-chickens_18292/
#47 actually in reading the code in the original posting above, I don’t see that species (goat) mentioned, but this thread started about chickens. Plus, I happen to know the folks involved and talked to one of them tonight – it may be that it’s legal. Please post the pertinent portion of the code, if you can find it, as she’s been advised by another neighbor that it’s legal (although she didn’t procure said animal, her grown children did).
crd, I believe you are correct.
You’re right. I should have read the code better before commenting. I just read it more carefully and it doesn’t specifically forbid goats, cows, mules or horses. No pigs or hogs. No fowl on a parcel less than 50,000 square feet and no cows with bells. I bet a goat does a pretty good job of mowing a lawn. And why aren’t more people riding horses?
I spoke with someone at the Forest Hill Winter Market this past weekend (she was selling goat cheese) and happened to have some baby goats with her. She had brought them for someone who had ordered them. She said that city code allows goats.
I want my freakin elephant!
crd, Let’s start a farm at The Belfry!
JD, spacecat and SEW, thank you for the information, particularly about the woman at the Forest Hill market. i will pass it along. My friend has a lot on her plate, and having her kids bring home a goat was not in her plans. She might be happy to hear it’s legal.
All Bark,
As I never once mentioned any personal dislike for farm animals, livestock in general let alone wildlife, what makes you assume that I don’t like or want chickens or want to be around animal life in general?
Your comments are uncalled for.
Although I must say that it is obvious (and amusing) to me that you have never traveled around New Jersey much, or you wouldn’t make the silly swipe about it. What you see from the turnpike is hardly representative of the state as a whole.
Some of the best produce in the country is NJ grown: tomatoes, peaches, corn, strawberries, and much, much more. Hanover tomatoes are garbage in comparison.
And no, I’m not from New Jersey either, before someone jumps to another irrational conclusion.
For those following the urban chicken debate: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/2012/apr/05/backyard-chickens-make-the-cut-among-richmond-food-ar-1819564/
I’ve fantasized about being able to rent a sheep or two to keep my lawn mowed, so if anyone is inclined to keep them, I’ll be happy to let them come over and eat the grass in my yard. As for chickens, I really, really hope that when the code is changed, it’s changed to allow poultry and fowl. I’m not particularly interested in keeping chickens myself, but I’d love a duck or three to eat all the slugs in my garden.
So here is a thought. First let me state that I am PRO urban chickens. Having said that, it has been my experience that people who want urban chickens are the same type of people that ask if your dog is a “rescue” dog, or adopt Chinese girl babies over an African-American baby, or drive hybrids and sneer at you because you cant afford one or are driving an old beater. I.E. these insufferable people are only doing it for a “look at me I am kinda green so I am better than you” mentality. It’s just an excuse to make them feel better about themselves. Now I am sure there are a few that are legit and are from the country and grew up raising them, or are earnestly wanting the fun and eggs that come with chickens. But like I said the ones I have met haven’t been.
Well, I have a plan that anyone who wants chickens can do to get the city to change their mind, that is LEGAL and can show that you aren’t just doing to be “in”.
There is a type of bird that is not a “fowl” lays almost one tasty egg a day, although quite small, can be domesticated and lives in a coop, acts quite like a chicken, AND IS NATIVE TO VA!!!! I challenge anyone to start raising quail. The city can’t make you get rid of them as they are not fowl and you can hatch them yourself or buy chicks. It’s the same as owning a canary but keeping it outside. They cant make you get rid of it.
Think of it, i cute little bevy of quail in your back yard, fertilising laying eggs and doing all that stuff that you say you want chickens for, but totally legal. There are many varieties too! So what say you? Do you really want a bird that does all the things that chckens do, maybe not as well, and show that you want these things and need them, or do you just want to look down on people or be able to tell you have chickens for the attention? Thoughts?
you mean bobwhite? They are probably still considered fowl.
When was the last time you heard a bobwhite around here anyway?
Bobwhites are one variety, and I haven’t heard one around here ever. That’s one reason to have them! They are native here but scarce. There are other varieties too. My thoughts are this, you can have a parakeet or a cockatoo or a parrot, and a few other birds. You can keep those birds in a cage outside if you want during the warmer months. One can put up a a birdhouse and native birds can nest in it, so why not just raise quail? How can they say you can’t have a native to Va bird? If one were to feed sparrows ( although not native) and the sparrows stayed in your yard and birdhouses, could they make you get rid of them? can they force you to take down a purple martin house? Well then how can they make you get rid of quail? Just tell them, they started nesting here so i built them a little coop where they go in at night. They would have to prove oherwise even if they did have a problem with it and how could they do that? Put a camera on you to see if you brought them home? Now I know quail aren’t as great as chickens, but they do a lot of the same stuff chickens do, and it might be a way to get the city to give in if it doesnt. if there are quail coops all around they may as well be chickens. The Coturnix quail can even grow up to a lb size and makes for good eating!
Also maybe add ringneck pheasant to the list?
re: Vixengrrl
I don’t know about your social analysis of people who want urban chickens. In my experience and talking to my neighbors who are from various socioeconomic classes and various races, they mostly support the idea of chickens in the backyard. None of them are “yuppies” or “green snobs” or whatever. In fact most are “working class” and see chickens as a way to reduce monthly food bills. But I digress. I like your idea of the native birds being kept as pets. I don’t know how quails would fair against cats though (of which there are many in my neighborhood of Fulton.) Being that they are much smaller than chickens, they’d make easier prey for many predators. Now wild turkeys are another story. We had a few nesting nearby back in 2007. It was awsome to see them walking the alley behind my house. But they are very wild and intelligent creatures, and don’t take well to being kept. (Anybody seen “My Life as a Turkey” on PBS? I don’t think anything except a dog could do much damage to them. Still, in the strict definition of ‘fowl’ most of these birds discussed would fall under that term. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fowl
It would be interesting to challenge the law with your approach, though I imagine the beaurocrats would see a fluffy, ground based bird and call it a fowl. The lady in CH with the geese and ducks faced that exact dilema and won in court according to some previous posts. Until the law changes, and if your neighbors are on your side, I think people who want egg laying birds in their yards should just do it, as long as they keep things sanitary and on the low-down. Some laws are bad enough that they should be struck down by the court of public opinion…
BTW, here’a link of the wild turkeys if anyone’s interested. I know they’re mostly like those blurry bigfoot photos, but I got one shot with a decent camera :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60654241@N07/sets/72157629501968362/
What about some urban dovecotes for urban squab?
I love the geese… They always cheer me up. So does buddy corbetts posts. Keep em honest . Bud .
If they let you keep ducks, why not just do that?
There are tough and quiet varieties (muscovys) and ducks that are great layers, equaling or exceeding egg out put of chickens (khaki campbells) and tiny cute little ducks (call ducks) and amusing looking ducks (indian runner).
Ducks and doves would both be different orders than chickeny type birds, depending on what the law says they could both be fine.
I’ve been considering keeping a flock of turkey buzzards on tethers in the front yard and on the roof of my porch. Mainly to keep salespeople from knocking on my door….
get a cassowary instead!
@69. i like your thinking. those are some mean birds: http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/worlds-most-dangerous-bird.html
Interested in keeping chickens? Custom made coops, different sizes …. attractive and safe from predators. Contact me for more information diananotes@yahoo.com. Nothing like fresh eggs!