Am I allowed to have chickens/goats in my yard?

Great tips on
homesteading,
frugal living,
and self reliance.

Am I allowed to have chickens/goats in my yard?

by SingleMom
(Baltimore)

Hello Ms. Merriam,

I am quite literally starting my quest to learn how to be self-sufficient and practice homesteading skills. What I'd like to know is how to find out the most recent ordinance rules for my community, which is in a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland.

I tried Googling the name of my community with the word Ordinances after it, but all the websites had quite a complicated group of legal documents, too many and too complicated for me to be able to answer my question. Is there some organization or person I could call to ask the specific question too? Or a website I could go to to get specific questions answered about whether or not I can have chickens and goats in my yard?

Additionally, what would you recommend me doing or learning before I brought these animals into my yard?

This is all very new to me, but learning to be self-sufficient is very important to me. I am a single mother with two young children. I live in my own small townhouse and I feel that for the time being, my custody situation with my abusive ex-husband has me stuck living here for a few years. I am also currently on Government Disability, so I don't work any outside job. My yard isn't very big either, but I think it would have enough room for a few animals So I'd like to learn how to be self-sufficient without moving from my home.

I thank you in advance for helping me. Your site is a wonderful site full of rich resources on self-sufficiency and homesteading, and I'm very glad you have it on the Net.

-SingleMom *^_^* who has also subscribed to your e-zine

Comments for
Am I allowed to have chickens/goats in my yard?

Click here to add your own comments

Am I allowed to have chickens in Greeley, CO
by: Anonymous

I had found out the same for Greeley, Co. Just to be sure I am calling a number I found for Animal Zoning on greeleygov.com on Monday. Thank you for the help.

Check Your City's Ordinances
by: Sue Merriam

The easiest and quickest way to find out if chickens are allowed in your area is to google your town and state along with the word "ordinance."

I did that for Greeley, Colorado, and the only ordinances regarding chickens (defined as "fowl") state that they can't run free in your yard and must be confined in shelter that protects them from the elements and from which they can't escape.

A chicken tractor or small chicken coop will work just fine. Also, there doesn't seem to be a limit as to how many chickens you can have or whether you can have a rooster, but for the sake of your neighbors, I would really recommend using good judgment and keeping the number of chickens down to about half a dozen and not have a rooster. They can be noisy critters!

Hope this helps,

Sue

Can I keep chickens in my yard?
by: Anonymous

I wanted to keep 3-4 chickens in my large back yard. I'm not sure what the laws are in my area and am not sure how to find out. I live in Greeley, CO.

NO chickens in Mauldin, SC
by: Sandy

Sadly, we aren't allowed to keep chickens in the city limits of Mauldin, SC.

You Can Keep Chickens in Baltimore
by: Sue Merriam

Hi Single Mom!

It took some digging, but here's what I found:

You can keep up to four chickens (hens only; no roosters)in your backyard in the city of Baltimore, but you will need to apply for a permit from the Baltimore Bureau of Animal Control.

You must also register with the Maryland Department of Agrigulture, Domestic Policy and Exotic Bird Registration Division. You can apply online by clicking here.

You must keep your chickens in a movable coop. A chicken tractor works great for this. You will have to keep your chickens at least 25 feet from any residence, allow 2 square feet per hen, provide shade during warm weather and shelter during bad weather. If your birds get sick, you have to take them to the vet, and you have to provide them with fresh water everyday and food. In other words, you have to take care of them.

Unfortunately, Baltimore ordinances won't allow you to keep a goat, but you can keep bees. Again, you will have to apply for a permit. You can do that here, and learn more about bees here.

Thanks for contacting me and happy homesteading!

Sue

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Homesteading Question

Build Your Own Chicken Tractor!

You Can Build a Chicken Tractor Provides you with step-by-step instructions on how to build a chicken tractor and also provides helpful information on how to get free wood and how your chickens can pay for themselves.

Click Here learn more.