Tenant wants a chicken coop....
Tenant has requested permission to get a chicken coop. My initial thought is no... anyone have experience with this? Just seems dirty and unnecessary. This is in a duplex with a good size back yard. Thanks!
If these chickens are service animals, they must be permitted. No legal advice given.
Growing up, there was a house in my neighborhood that made some small enclosures and purchased some goats. Neighbors of this particular house were upset and started to argue over it (not sure if lawsuits were filed or complaints filed to the county). In any case, it was determined that the land was not zoned for farm animals and therefore, the goats had to leave. We also lived in a neighborhood where all the lots were over 1+ acre in size.
I would check with your local zoning laws to see if getting a chicken coop is even allowed (is the land zoned for farming/farm animals). It could be a quick answer, with support from the law, to not allow the chicken coop from being built without you looking like the bad guy.
Haha, now this is a discussion worthy of a Monday. How experienced with caring for chickens are these tenants. I have a friend who wanted to get into raising chickens, and maybe he skipped over the rule book, but one of the chickens ended up killing all the others. It was a brutal hunger games coop.
I'd stay away
Uh, NO!
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Originally posted by @Harry H copeland:@Theresa Harris we live on 5 acres and have chickens
In 2019 we became over run with rats
In one week we trapped 32 of them
Nasty
Yuk. My mom's neighbour had chickens and once they got rid of them, the rats went away...okay my mom also got a tenant who has cats, so that helped.
Seems like the cons outweigh the pros . Unless they’re great tenants, and you have difficulty finding good tenants, I’d say no .
For those of you hating on roosters. May I remind you of tenant law. You cannot discriminant against sexual orientation. If you disallow a rooster, or a hen that identifies as a rooster for that matter, a judge will jerk a knot in you tail in good old California.
Not with a duplex:(
If it was a SFH and they "did a lease option then yes.
We have a larger yard in the country with a fence so I got 3 chicken 🐔 because I thought it would be neat seeing them run around the yard. One of my children play and carried them around. The chickens got bigger and liked to hang next to the door. It turned messy so chickens had to find a new home.
Originally posted by @Terrell Garren:For those of you hating on roosters. May I remind you of tenant law. You cannot discriminant against sexual orientation. If you disallow a rooster, or a hen that identifies as a rooster for that matter, a judge will jerk a knot in you tail in good old California.
I allow all chickens that lay eggs regardless if they identify as hens or roosters. How could that be discrimination?
Good Lord - I can tell a number of folks are simply making assumptions. Here's a photo of my over-built coop attached to my garage at my home in inner-city Chicago:
Currently I just have 4 chickens and a turkey, but had 12 and 4 at one time. Roosters too - the amount of noise they make is no different than any one of my neighbor's barking dogs.
I will note though - unless the chickens have a LARGE outdoor run, any grass/vegetation will turn to dirt as they'll eat and trample on anything green. Also, a lot of suburbs around here have limits or outright bans on chickens, so be sure to check. They likely attract rodents, but we have so many rats in Chicago anyhow its not going to affect anything.
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@Thomas J Monson - if they want chickens, you should consider buying a Fox for a pet!
@Thomas J Monson
Check city ordinances first. If not allowed, will give u an easy NO
If allowed by City.....say yes if they build a chicken coup of your design on their dollar correctly with the city. When they move out, use it as a storage shed.
Absolutely never! I lived on a 3 acre property with 2 houses and a giant pond. Our landlord basically allowed anything and it turned into a crap load of chickens, 10 ducks, 4 dogs, and several cats. They rented it to me way under market value and I still had to leave because all the animal poop everywhere. Last I heard he was building a pen for a goat.
@Mike Nelson I can't tell if this is a joke or not. What legit doctor would sign off on that?
I'd allow it for the right tenant. I have about 20 chickens myself though so I'm partial to people being able to grow their own food. In reality, with the right density of birds, 3 - 5 birds in a yard are MUCH less risk than a dog in the house... depending on your city I suppose.
I would only allow it if its legal and I could charge a pet fee. Try to get whatever number you think they would pay. Then sign a pet addendum that states if neighbors complain, they will have 7 days to get rid of the birds. Make everything clear in writing and get some extra $ out of the deal.
Also, I would make sure they don't build any permanent structure. People can get ready made coops at the tractor store that you move around the yard. With the right management, its free fertilization and great entertainment... not to mention they are making the space more of their home. If you have good tenants, you want them to be able to feel like its home so they stay.
If they are not good tenants, don't allow it.
We have 5 acres & our new refugee tenants asked if they could rebuild the coop down by the barn 1000 ft from the old converted 6 unit farmhouse. They then spent weeks rebuilding that thing & ordered chicks that came by mail in 3 shoe boxes.
We had 51 of the things & they all lived. It became a big chore & their kid was suddenly allergic to chickens & work. So they decided to abandon the serfdom farm concept & stuck me with more eggs & fertilizer than I could handle.
We had a well that pumped great water for them & then our "Italian" tenant rototilled & planted a huge vegetable garden nearby. He gladly grabbed the mounds of steaming lung burning 'fertilizer'. That was until the chickens started getting out & going free range tearing his garden to shreds. The 'fertilizer' hit the fan & the hens kept getting out to 'free range' & subsequently disappear. It was a tough 2 years & I don't miss it.
Last summer the same refugee tenants started work on the old run down barn/stable? They now wanted a couple of goats to raise & slaughter as per their old country tradition. So we mandated no more animals.
But we agreed he can still use the barn to make that smooth home made bourbon/whiskey/grappa whatever it is. I had my maintenance guy over to their apartment last night to replace the kitchen faucet & he was imbibing on their home made stuff & had several of their huge Persian Rutab dates (also soaked in liquor). After a couple of glasses I had to help him up from under the sink. Luckily he also lives on the property.
@Thomas J Monson
Check the building and use codes for your property. If the regulations say yes, dont forget to ask the neighbors.
I have raised chickens. Love them birds!
There are issues to understand concerning chickens and raising them.
Understand that your next renter of this property may not enjoy so much of what chickens may leave behind.
Dont expect your current tenant to clean everything up before they leave. This will result in an added expense.
t in an added expense.
@Jane S.
I agree. Things can go well.
I also raised rabbits. If the needed things are done, all will be fine.
Funny, but I think of some things a bit different when I think of who will clean up the mess. And how much it will cost, when the renter moves on.
I want some little chicks now. Thanks alot for this post. If they only stayed small, soft, and cute....... If you never lived on a farm, NO would be my answer. A favorite saying of mine comes to mind from a scene in the movie The Music Man.
"You gotta know the territory "!