Our next reader question is… “Are there regulations in your area for how many you can own in proportion to the size of the property you own?”

Yes, there are regulations for those that live inside the city limits of Goldsboro, NC.  The restrictions are as follows:

“The chickens must be kept in a well-ventilated enclosure large enough to give 10 square feet of space for each chicken and at least 15 feet from all property lines and roosters are not permitted unless the property is a bona fide farm or at least 200 yards away from any dwelling, hospital, school, church or eating establishment.”

Source:  Goldsboro News Argus (http://www.newsargus.com/news/archives/2012/10/21/chickens_allowed_within_city_limits/ )

Residents that live outside the city limits (that’s us!) but inside Wayne County (the county we reside in), have no restrictions other than moral/neighborly ones!   We {thankfully} live in the county, we do not own our land, we rent the land our mobile home in on, but since we are not in the city limits, we have no restrictions.  We do, however, consider our neighbors and do not have any roosters – we like our neighbors and don’t want to infringe on their peace and quiet…and we don’t want chicks !!!

Because our chickens are more like pets that feed us breakfast, we also follow the recommended guidelines for the amount of space that a chicken needs individually – at least 10 square feet per chicken.  Since we have 12 hens, we would need 120 square feet of space for them, and we provide them with 300 square feet of run space – along with daily “yard time” with us and our dog, Mike.

So there you have it…the “chicken rules” for our neck of the woods ! Very simple regulations, but they were very difficult to find!  I called our animal control department, searched the web and the only thing I came up with was the news article!

Next week we will be covering selling chicks and/or eggs !!! Stay tuned !

Just for giggles….here are  a few fun facts for this Friday –

• A female chicken is a “pullet” until she is old enough to lay eggs, when she becomes a “hen”
• Male chickens are called “roosters”
• Most eggs are laid between 9 and 11 am
• You can tell if an egg is fresh or stale by dropping it in water…fresh ones will sink
• Chickens have full-color vision
• Chickens establish a “pecking order” in social situations
• Chickens can run at a speed of 9 mph {I’ve seen ours run…and this is TRUE!}