When I decided to start raising chickens again, the first thing I did was call the county planning & zoning department, because unlike decades ago when I had chickens before, there are now zoning laws in many places that prohibit raising livestock and specifically poultry. I learned that on our 1 acre rural property I was only allowed to have 8 adult hens and NO roosters. However there are other chicken keepers in our community with way more than 8 hens, and I hear the lovely sound of roosters crowing each morning so I know there are either outlaw chicken keepers or different rules for different folks around here...so I asked about this. The zoning department person said that in our particular community, which is surrounded by livestock (mostly cattle) and hay fields, we have restrictions on the number of hens for lots that are under 1.6 acres (ours is 1.02). So out of curiosity I asked, "If we owned the vacant lot next door that is over an acre, combined with ours it would be 2.32 acres, what would our poultry limit be?" She looked up the property next door to verify the size and told me that if we owned both pieces of property then I would not have a limit on the number of hens, and I could have roosters too!
We were okay with only having 8 hens, and joked that if we wanted a rooster we would have to buy the property next door, making that one really expensive rooster! But the idea of buying the property next door was not a new one. We had considered it when we first bought our property because we wanted extra space. However the people who owned that property wanted way too much for it, so we didn't give it any serious thought.
Then a few weeks ago the hubby was trying to figure out where he could build a new shop on our property. We do have an acre, but part of it is up a hill so you can't really build there. The long winding driveway getting up to our house takes up lots of space in the front of our property, leaving very little room for a shop. We were discussing the placement one day when I suggested that we rethink the property next door. If we could get it at a reasonable price perhaps we could build the shop on that section...and I could have roosters, and maybe a big garden next year, or more critters! "Whoa!" my hubby said, "remember they wanted way more than it was worth last year? I'm sure they haven't come down that much in a year."
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| The property next door. It will need lots of clearing work to make it useable. |
Well I went that moment and looked up their MLS listing. It was still for sale and they had dropped the price just recently...by nearly half! Now it was within range of us being able to buy it. I did a little deeper searching and learned that the couple who owned it were now divorced, and not amicably so, plus the Mr, had a huge tax lien recently filed against his business a few months ago, so they might now be ready to negotiate on the price for a quick sale. So we made an offer.
It was..........ACCEPTED!!!! The property is now in escrow and should be closing very, very soon! So my little Barry the Barred Rock Rooster can legally stay! Hubby can build his shop, I can start my first compost pile, and maybe, just maybe, I can get some pygmy or dwarf goats in the coming year. I have wanted to raise them for a very long time for their milk to make my own goat cheese...and because they are so darn Cute!
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| I want a couple of these! (Source) |
I've wanted to share this news with you for a few weeks now, but didn't want to jinks things. But now all of the escrow hurdles have been jumped and we are running for the finish line! Hooray!!
Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!
Did this post stir something inside of you? If so, Please leave me a comment, I would love to know what you're thinking!!!
