We're renting our house, and our current lease states that animals are not permitted on the property without express written permission from the landlords.
But I really want a few laying hens.
I've never had them before, but lots of friends of mine have. They are so easy to care for and are happy to putter around in a little fenced-in yard (and our backyard already has a tall sturdy fence). They improve your soil, give you fresh eggs for free, eat your leftover food scraps, and cut down on your carbon footprint. Obviously this is has been on my life list for a long time.
On the off chance that anyone who reads this is considering getting chickens at a rental house, here is the text from the letter I just sent to our landlords. (I haven't received a response yet, so the jury is out on whether or not it will work, but I'm optimistic.) Permission granted for anyone out there to use this, if you're thinking of getting chickens to make your corner of the world better.
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To Whom It May Concern: 3/17/2016
As a resident of one of your properties, I am writing to you with a proposal. Our current lease states that animals are not permitted on the premises without written permission, and our household is hoping to begin keeping chickens in the backyard for eggs. Keeping backyard chickens is an easy and harmless way to reap environmental, financial, and health benefits: They are placid and self-sufficient animals that take up little space and few resources, and the eggs they produce are fresher than store-bought eggs and have essentially no carbon footprint.
To alleviate any concerns you might have about the situation, I have addressed below a number of issues or complaints that sometimes come up in keeping backyard chickens.
- Noise: Under no circumstances will there be a rooster on the premises. Hens make very little noise (generally much less than that of a barking dog), so I do not expect noise to be an issue.
- Accommodation: The chickens will be kept at all times within the fenced-in backyard and enclosed in their chicken house at night to protect from raccoons. They will never be inside either of the buildings on the property (house or garage). They will not be visible from the front yard or the street.
- Destruction of property: The chicken coop will be mobile and free-standing, involving no alterations to existing structures.
- Destruction of lawn: The chickens will indeed peck at the ground, but this does not cause any harm to the land, and they typically do not damage grass. In fact, they actually improve the soil quality through aeration, and their manure will act as a fertilizer, thus making the land more viable for future gardening, landscaping, and cultivation.
- Smell: We plan to have an open-air coop, which allows for an essentially smell-free environment.
- Volume: We plan to have 2-4 chickens, a number that will not overwhelm the capacity of the land we have.
- Zoning Code: The City of Colorado Springs allows residents to keep up to 10 hens as long as there is adequate space provided. I am enclosing a copy of the ordinance.
In summary, I believe backyard chickens will be a viable and beneficial addition to our household life with no major drawbacks. I hope you will find this to be a satisfactory arrangement.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions or concerns! I would be happy to discuss my plans in more detail.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Happy homesteading!
amazing! This is just what I was looking for! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat! I'm in a similar situation. Just found a great place to rent in Oakland, a single family hoe with a backyard, but haven't yet told them that we already have 3 hens. I'm planning to modify this letter and use it. Did it work for you?
ReplyDeleteWow! I'd love to have chickens.
DeleteMy landlord is kinda weird, but he might accept it.
ReplyDelete