With a cluck, cluck here and a cluck, cluck there…
Old McSalem had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
and on that farm he had some hens
E-I-E-I-O
with a cluck, cluck here and a cluck, cluck there
here a cluck, there a cluck, everywhere a cluck, cluck.
Old McSalem had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
I wrote a post not too long ago about the chicken ban that Salem Oregon has in place for homes. There has been a push to allow chickens to exist within the city limits allowing people to have fresh eggs. After much debate and banter about it, the city councilors passed a motion to start the process to change the city codes.
And, yes, there are restrictions.
- No roosters, so don’t expect to see Foghorn Leghorn in your neighbor’s backyard. He’s still banned in city limits.
- 3 hens. No large broods of chickens in city limits. You should only hear cluck, cluck, cluck from your neighbor’s yard not cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck…well you get the idea.
- The hen house needs to be at least 20 feet from the property line.
- Home owners need to have at least 10,000 sq feet to their lot. That’s .23 acres. Not a lot of lots here in city limits that are that large.
Honestly, there will be so few folks that have the lot requirement that I just don’t see that many hens being inside our city limits. If you are looking to purchase real estate in the city limits of Salem Oregon, don’t get freaked out by this news. If you really hate hens, there are many subdivisions to choose from where poultry is not allowed regardless.
BUT what I really want to know is who is going to be the first person to end up in small claims court. See in my neighborhood there are a few lots that would meet that criteria AND there are many “outdoor” cats that roam my area. I can just see the song now…
Old McSalem had a city
E-I-E-I-O
and in that city they allowed some hens
E-I-E-I-O
with a cluck, cluck here and a meow, meow there
here a cluck, there a meow, everywhere a cluck, meow.
Old McKitty ate a hen
E-I-E-I-O
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June 26th, 2009 at 12:22 am
Funny you worry about people objecting to hens, and you bring up the really noxious animals, cats, whose poop is toxic to humans and a special threat to pregnant women, and who love to use fresh turned garden soil as their personal cat box.
And then there’s dogs, of course, whose poop is also toxic, and who are blocks-away noisy, and who are regularly dangerous, injuring and even killing people.
But do we have any of the rigamarole that we’re forcing on people who want to keep some hens for dogs and cats? Nope. When times are really hard, I sure hope the snobs standing on their CC&Rs will buy eggs for all their neighbors.
June 26th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
I can understand not having 10 hens on a .10 acre lot. I get that, but really I think this is not a huge issue. The hens will cluck, dogs bark, cats eat neighbors koi…
I have a dog and I get irritated when people don’t clean up after their pets. I just think it is such a small group of citizens that actually want to care for hens, that it won’t be any worse than the cats roaming the streets now, or the people that leave their dog poop in the parks and on other people’s yards.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
3 hens. That is all we are talking about here folks. 3 little hens. I can here the pitbull that barks incessantly from 4 blocks away. My mother’s chickens in the coop out in the country are so quiet that you can be 10 FEET away and not know that they are in there. Hmmm… I wonder which I would rather have in my neighborhood… the loud pitbull that walks itself regularly (and is a danger to the small animals and children) or 3 little hens that would provide eggs and enjoyment. Too hard of a choice.