Urban Chickens in NOVA? (Arlington, Fairfax: neighborhoods, inspector, zoning)

[Workin_Hard]

Originally Posted by terrence81

They have them in Oakton too. I was so surprised. Horses like ten minutes from my apartment.

I'll bet they weren't on quarter-acre lots though! Seriously, such small lots are no place for farm animals, no matter the size. Health and sanitation problems are sure to follow, plus the annoyance factor for neighbors living so close together. Allowing 'urban chickens' on small lots will lead to a slippery slope - next the townhouse dwellers will want them, then some condo owners will argue that chickens may be raised quietly and cleanly on a balcony, etc.

[Workin_Hard]

Originally Posted by Yankeesfan

I'm sorry but nearly all of the coops at that website were not something I would want to look at in a neighbor's backyard. There was an article in the Post last year about crackdowns on illegal backyard chickens in Prince William and also mentioned Fairfax County. Neighbors complain about them so they must be disruptive in some ways. It said the food attracts mice, among other things.

I agree with the comment about the coops. They're all pretty tacky looking and not something many neighbors would want to see. For all the complaints about how oppressive HOAs are, one good thing about them is in preventing stuff like this. Ours has specific mention against keeping any livestock and is further backed up by county code.

[statecollege]

Hey, Slapov, how does the rooster get his thing through the shell?

[lvgraham]

Back in the 60s, we had a female goose. We lived on South 16th Street in Arlington, VA. Our house backed up to what was called Cafritz' field and now is called Pentagon City. Our goose gave us an egg a day without ever seeing a gander. She was a great pet and held her own against the neighborhood cats. She would honk up a storm at the breaking of dawn. I'll bet our neighbors wanted to shoot her. I am now wondering if there was an ordinance against us having her -- we also had a pet rabbit and several turtles. My dad was the best.

[Alicia Bradley]

Originally Posted by lvgraham

Back in the 60s, we had a female goose. We lived on South 16th Street in Arlington, VA. Our house backed up to what was called Cafritz' field and now is called Pentagon City. Our goose gave us an egg a day without ever seeing a gander. She was a great pet and held her own against the neighborhood cats. She would honk up a storm at the breaking of dawn. I'll bet our neighbors wanted to shoot her. I am now wondering if there was an ordinance against us having her -- we also had a pet rabbit and several turtles. My dad was the best.

Interesting (and cute)!! (I'm an animal-lover, too - currently share my home with six fancy/domestic rats. ) I'm also planning to move to the general area where [it sounds like] you grew up (Addison Heights, probably.. possibly the part of Aurora Highlands closest to Addison Heights.. I think Virginia Highlands was/is tucked in somewhere around there, too, but the neighborhood boundaries are vague and also seem to shift by boundary 'type' [HOA, legal subdivision, etc.]) as soon as I find an acceptable house there. I'd love to hear more stories about the Pentagon City/Crystal City (and surrounding) areas back in the old days (you know, before they *were* PC and CC.. heh). So.. post, post, post!!

[robbobobbo]

This reminded me of reading about a movement to allow chickens in Alexandria City. Typically there is much less land size per house than in most Fairfax County neighborhoods, but one home on upper King Street has 7 acres (!) and I've seen his chickens pecking around in the yard.

Alexandria Times | Making a case for the urban chicken movement

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by statecollege

Hey, Slapov, how does the rooster get his thing through the shell?

There are hormones in the feed; no need for roosters.

My dad had some hens w/o a rooster and I wondered about the same thing. didn't believe him but lo and behold ---eggs, eggs, and lots of 'em.

[Jeanie Beanie]

I had chickens for years. First off, you don't need roosters. Roosters are nasty. They protect their hens and will attack if you get too close. So, hatchet, done!

I had white leghorns which were heavy layers. My dozen hens (to start) laid about 10 eggs a day so I was providing eggs to extended family. These eggs would never hatch as they were not fertilized. When a hen & rooster mate the sperm will last for a while to fertilize the daily egg she lays. I've killed and cleaned hens, and the eggs start out microscopic, like any animal, and that's when they would get fertilized. Then they grow (fertilized or not) until they are laid. When you kill and dress a hen, you could have a dozen or more eggs in progressive stages of development. When she, in nature, lays her clutch of a dozen or so eggs, she'll stop laying for a while and "set" on the eggs for a couple of weeks until they hatch into chicks (if they're fertile).

Naturally, if you are harvesting eggs, she never gets a full clutch to get attached to, so she keeps laying. Some hens will leave the nest willingly when you gathen eggs. Some will peck at your hand a bit as you reach under them to gather eggs. These are "broody hens". If you want to raise chicks you want a protective mama to not abandon them. They are not necessary nowadays as most farmers hatch out chicks in incubators, but a small hobby farm could keep a rooster around to fertilize a brood of chicks now and then to refresh the flock.

Chickens ARE amusing but they poop everywhere. Mine liked to nap on my patio chairs. Not good. Oh, by the way, the pecking order is absolutely a reality, and the top hen does crow in the morning - and other times, too, actually. Had my chickens for about 6 years when they stopped laying and died out. One can't put ones chickens in a kennel and go on vacation for a week. So we haven't gotten back into it.

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by Yankeesfan

Neighbors complain about them so they must be disruptive in some ways. It said the food attracts mice, among other things.

I am sure that the owners did not take all the proper precautions to prevent rodents to the food. Shoot, if people can prevent rodents and such from going into their vegetable garden, they can do the same with the food provided to the hens.

[BillHoo]

Originally Posted by Joke Insurance

I am sure that the owners did not take all the proper precautions to prevent rodents to the food. Shoot, if people can prevent rodents and such from going into their vegetable garden, they can do the same with the food provided to the hens.

You put out the feed in the mornings. Any feed that is scattered will simply be cleaned up by neighborhood songbirds. When you get home from work, sweep up the excess.

Heck! We have technology! Buy a Roomba Dirt Dog by iRobot and set up a perimeter around the coop, so it sucks up all the surplus feed that is scattered. You might even be able to throw it back into the coop the next day for the hens to scratch around in. The value-added is that any squirrels coming around will be scared away!

Problems occur when people leave dog or catfood out all night and then you get raccoons, rats and other critters coming out for the free meal.