Do you have chickens
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Anonymous
Don't they also attract mountain lions, foxes and other wild predators? |
Anonymous
The story I remember is about a rooster. Good luck finding it, it is hysterical. |
Anonymous
| Its illegal to have chickens on less than 4 acres. They sink , harbor diseases and tear up lawns. Report this crap asap . |
Anonymous
No, I am not in the DC area, although the winter is fairly similar. Chickens do fine in cold weather as long as they have a house with some hay in it - they nest down at night and snuggle up to each other (assuming you have more than one, which you should because they are social creatures). In really cold climates, some people install lamps in their hen house to add extra warmth in the winter. Someone asked -- we have an acre, although the law in my town allows 2 chickens in lots of .10 acres, and gradually increases the number you are allowed to have as your lot size increases. Two chickens on .10 acre fits just fine, and there are many cute little hen houses on the market which work well in such a small space. By the way, this thread is rife with incorrect information about chicken keeping. Not really worth getting into as the great "urban chicken debate" can be found all over the web and in books. But just to quickly correct some misconceptions -- chickens can lay for many years, they are not particularly smelly or noisy (when comparing one-to-one, they are much less noisy and smelly than a dog), and depending on the animal they can make a nice pet. We have had chickens that we needed to kill, and we have either buried them or eaten them, depending on the situation. It's all a great learning process for the kids, too. They handle it better than me, in fact. Oh, and they don't attract rodents/coyotes/pestilence anymore than your dog, the squirrel in your yard, or the rotting trash in your can. |
Anonymous
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http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/faqs/zoning.htm
The keeping of livestock or domestic fowl is allowed as an accessory use on any lot of two (2) acres or more in size. |
Anonymous
| Can't live chickens harbor salmonella? I thought I had read an article to this effect recently. |
Anonymous
It takes a lot to make me laugh, so thanks!! |
Anonymous
| chickens stink especially after it rains because they tear up the grass into bare dirt and poop all over it |
Anonymous
You mean, kind of like dogs do? A single chicken produces about half the amount of poop that a medium size dog does in one day. Also, chickens occasionally produce a smelly poop (about once or twice a week - it's called 'ceacal' and is smelly like dog poop ) but the rest of their poop is mild and not offensive. Yes, they definitely dig up the grass. They do this to eat all the bugs, including ticks, so some people see this as a good thing. Also, if the chickens are contained in a run, then the spot where the run was sitting makes an excellent place for a garden the following year, because all the grass and weeds have been eaten and the ground has been tilled, and the poop has fertilized the earth. Chickens are all around great for an eco-friendly yard. Unlike dogs, whose poop does not make good fertilizer, and must be thrown into the city trash dump. |
Anonymous
| Plus, you can turn the poop into whitewash and paint your house. |
Anonymous
Not in the agriculture area where I grew up. Pretty much everyone had chickens, even those who didn't live on a farm. They had small coops like a PP posted. The PP is correct that there is a lot of misinformation on this thread about chickens - however, they are f'ing stupid and when you have 50-75 like we did, they do stink, especially when it's wet/humid. But, they're not any worse than the big hunting dogs we had which also stunk when wet. If you're taking good care of your dogs and clean up the dog poop in your yard, you probably can raise chickens just fine. But, if you live in a close-in suburb, the noise is likely to annoy your neighbors and they'll report you to the county. |
Anonymous
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It isn't "illegal to keep chickens on less than four acres."
Unfortunately, it is illegal to keep them in DC. Baltimore allows up to four hens. I've got a whole bunch of them. I also have a small farm in Fairfax as well as my place in the city, so it makes some amount more sense. As long as you are cleaning up after them, they don't smell much, but you do need to keep after it. I have, however, been known to start the babies in the house. And the eggs are undoubtedly superior to store bought. |
Anonymous
This is correct - it is illegal in FFx Co. and Arlington (although Arlington is trying to pass an ordinance, but it won't be likely since housing is too close), so, NO, I don't have any chickens. |
Anonymous
[b] I literally laughed so hard at this. Thank you PP! |
Anonymous
Maybe but (a) mountain lions are really unlikely here, and (b) you won't see these predators. They get in, take your chickens, and get out. Ask any farmer, they would love to shoot them but it's rare to encounter them. |