Backyard chickens-who has them and do your neighbors care?

[Anonymous]

This question has been asked multiple times and answered a multitude of ways. 13:24-I give all the options. In short, I haven't decided yet.

[Anonymous]

I have both chickens and a chicken coop in my yard... but I am poor. And I have chickenshit on my shoes sometimes. But my scrambled eggs are luxurious, unlike the squalor I live in.

[Anonymous]

I didn't real all the responses so I'm guessing this turned into a really ridiculous DCUM-fest, but my neighbor has chickens and we love it. The boys are NUTS about them - they know all their names. And we get free eggs all the time. Oh, and we give them a lot of our food scraps which makes me feel like I'm not contributing as much to landfills. I think it's a great thing!

[Anonymous]

*read*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have both chickens and a chicken coop in my yard... but I am poor. And I have chickenshit on my shoes sometimes. But my scrambled eggs are luxurious, unlike the squalor I live in.

really sucks to be you then..read a book sometime, ya hear?

[Anonymous]

Here's an article for all you organic hens pecking each others' eyes out: http://bit.ly/Mlv3BD

[Anonymous]

We "made" DCist, too: http://dcist.com/2012/08/go_home_already_empty.php

It's frustrating, though, that the articles missed our whole discussion about sanitation-- which I think is the real issue. That and OP's wannabe Martha Stewartiness without benefit of Martha's dirtywork-doing staff.

[Anonymous]

Whoever says shells are the color of the food they eat, not true. Some chickens lay blue eggs, some lay green eggs, some lay brown, it just depends on the kinds of chickens.

Yes - some hens are assholes. I had one that was a total asshole. BUT - you can get ones that are bred to be gentle. I haven't had any trouble with my hens from any of the more docile breeds. Try a polish hen, or maybe a silkie. My hen that was an asshole was a "Red Jungle Fowl" so it's not exactly surprising that she was an asshole.

No - my neighbors do not complain and seem to have embraced them. They're fairly low maintenance, and they adore fruit.

But if the question is what YOUR neighbors would think, frankly, I think that once again that this blog has shown that most of the readership of DC Urban Moms are, quite frankly, a bunch of complete and utter know it all twats that don't possess the common sense that the good lord gave a tzetze fly and don't possess the brains god gave a mule, but yet, manage to bray four times as loud. MY GOD. Why are you even asking questions HERE? Simplest response - ask your neighbors.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, there are a heck of a lot of residences in Fairfax County on lots larger than 2 acres.

You can have up to 64 chickens on 2 acres.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/zoning/petsanimalsres.htm

The keeping of livestock or domestic fowl shall be allowed as an accessory use on any lot of two (2) acres or more in size. The keeping of such livestock or domestic fowl shall be in accordance with the following table:

The number of livestock kept on a given lot shall not exceed the ratio of one (1) animal unit per one (1) acre, with an animal unit identified as follows:

2 head of cattle = 1 animal unit
5 sheep = 1 animal unit
3 horses = 1 animal unit
5 swine = 1 animal unit
5 goats = 1 animal unit
5 llamas = 1 animal unit
5 alpacas = 1 animal unit

Horses shall include ponies, mules, burros and donkeys. In determining the number of livestock permitted, only horses six (6) months or older in age and cattle, sheep, goats, and swine one (1) year or older in age shall be counted. In addition, in determining the number of livestock permitted, combinations of animals are allowed, provided that the ratio of one (1) animal unit per one (1) acre is maintained.

The number of domestic fowl kept on a given lot shall not exceed the ratio of one (1) bird unit per one (1) acre, with a bird unit identified as follows:

32 chickens = 1 bird unit
16 ducks = 1 bird unit
8 turkeys = 1 bird unit
8 geese = 1 bird unit

In determining the number of domestic fowl permitted, only fowl six (6) months or older in age shall be counted.

The keeping of honeybees in four (4) beehives or less shall be allowed as an accessory use on any lot. On any lot of 10,000 square feet in size or larger, more than four (4) beehives may be kept, provided there is an additional lot area of 2500 square feet for each hive.

[Anonymous]

Oh my god you people are all monsters.

[Anonymous]

We lived next to a home that had chickens. The chickens were bad news. They were always trying to return beer to the store for cash. I think they stole the beer...they would never have receipts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We "made" DCist, too: http://dcist.com/2012/08/go_home_already_empty.php

It's frustrating, though, that the articles missed our whole discussion about sanitation-- which I think is the real issue. That and OP's wannabe Martha Stewartiness without benefit of Martha's dirtywork-doing staff.

Also, I'm pretty sure the snark on poverty was sort of said in jest.

[Anonymous]

What do you people really think about donor egg chickens?

[Anonymous]

Why are all the chickens in Chevy Case DC so darn tasty?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We "made" DCist, too: http://dcist.com/2012/08/go_home_already_empty.php

It's frustrating, though, that the articles missed our whole discussion about sanitation-- which I think is the real issue. That and OP's wannabe Martha Stewartiness without benefit of Martha's dirtywork-doing staff.

So are you the one cutting and pasting all these comments from the thread on DCist? Are you "SWDC"?