Tenant wants a chicken coop....

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Tenant wants a chicken coop....

Thomas J Monson
Contractor 路 Saint Paul, MN 路 Member since 2018 路 2 posts 路 2 votes

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!

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Jane S.
Flipper/Rehabber 路 Colorado Springs, CO 路 Member since 2016 路 499 posts 路 167 votes
6y

my tenants have a large back yard and the chicken house he built is very nice looking, its at the rear of the yard backing up to a right of way and there is NO SMELL and NO MESS. They have a couple of toddlers. the chickens are mostly in their enclosure. Our town allows about a dozen hens per family but no rooster. As far as I can tell the tenants take excellent care of their animals/garden and learned all about them before they got their chicks. The eggs they gave me are really small, though. The chickens are very pretty and healthy, (spoiled probably) not noisy. as long as your tenants are smart about it, and know the city rules, I think you should consider it. The only worry is predator birds like owls, falcons etc. or egg-suck dogs. (I had one of those) These same tenants grow lovely veggies in summer, which I also enjoy. The property they live in was used by the original family that sold it to me who did similar things so they are carrying on the tradition. I think it's great for the kids to experience small scale farming, the property came with a huge compost heap that got used up quickly. I discovered some vintage plants that survived for decades. I have another rental across the street from a loud and noisy turkey pair. Havent seen them, they hang out behind a high fence. Both houses are inside city limits. As you can tell i am in favor of pulticulture! There are enough folks doing this that your tenants can get advice etc. Don't know about goats. I know they wander in and out of my friend's house. very cuute.

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  • Mike Nelson
    Investor 路 Oak Park, IL 路 Member since 2014 路 307 posts 路 150 votes
    6y

    If these chickens are service animals, they must be permitted.  No legal advice given.

    4Reply
  • Account Closed
    Member since 2018 路 127 posts 路 106 votes
    6y

    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.

    0Reply
  • Connor Stark
    Real Estate Agent 路 Los Angeles 路 Member since 2019 路 57 posts 路 40 votes
    6y

    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 

    0Reply
  • Anthony Rosa
    Rental Property Investor 路 New York City 路 Member since 2019 路 703 posts 路 538 votes
    6y

    Uh, NO!

    0Reply
  • Theresa HarrisPro Member
    Member since 2019 路 15k+ posts 路 11k+ votes
    6y
    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.

    0Reply
  • Marci Stein
    Rental Property Investor 路 New York, NY 路 Member since 2011 路 956 posts 路 510 votes
    6y

    Seems like the cons outweigh the pros . Unless they鈥檙e great tenants, and you have difficulty finding good tenants, I鈥檇 say no . 

    0Reply
  • Terrell Garren
    Rental Property Investor 路 Concord, NC 路 Member since 2016 路 1k+ posts 路 3k+ votes
    6y

    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.

    4Reply
  • Account Closed
    Specialist 路 San Antonio, TX 路 Member since 2012 路 865 posts 路 351 votes
    6y

    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 馃悢 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.

    0Reply
  • Shane H.
    Member since 2018 路 433 posts 路 208 votes
    6y
    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? 

    3Reply
  • Matthew Olszak
    Real Estate Broker 路 Chicago, IL 路 Member since 2015 路 1k+ posts 路 2k+ votes
    6y

    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.

    2Reply
  • Nik Corbaxhi
    Rental Property Investor 路 Stratford, CT 路 Member since 2019 路 154 posts 路 115 votes
    6y

    @Thomas J Monson - if they want chickens, you should consider buying a Fox for a pet!

    1Reply
  • Justin KurpiusPro Member
    Rental Property Investor 路 Member since 2017 路 84 posts 路 41 votes
    6y

    @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.

    0Reply
  • Zack Howard
    Member since 2019 路 32 posts 路 22 votes
    6y

    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.

    0Reply
  • Matt P.
    Investor 路 Columbus, OH 路 Member since 2015 路 625 posts 路 601 votes
    6y

    @Mike Nelson I can't tell if this is a joke or not. What legit doctor would sign off on that?

    0Reply
  • Justin Foster
    Rental Property Investor 路 Tulsa, OK 路 Member since 2016 路 50 posts 路 38 votes
    6y

    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.

    0Reply
  • Pat L.
    Rental Property Investor 路 Upstate, NY 路 Member since 2012 路 3k+ posts 路 3k+ votes
    6y

    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.

    0Reply
  • Daniel SmythPro Member
    Rental Property Investor 路 Rockford, IL 路 Member since 2019 路 471 posts 路 342 votes
    6y

    @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.

    [email protected]
    0Reply
  • Daniel SmythPro Member
    Rental Property Investor 路 Rockford, IL 路 Member since 2019 路 471 posts 路 342 votes
    6y

    @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 "!

    [email protected]
    0Reply
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