h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Who Can Have Chickens? Chickens are allowed in places that one would not think they would be. Conversely, some places that most people would expect to find chickens do not allow poultry. Some places allow hens but no roosters, while others allow either. Some places place limits on number of birds, or type and size of enclosure, or on how near enclosures may be to the property lines or other buildings. Other places place no limits on anything. Permits for poultry are required in some areas, while in others, they are not. In yet other areas, any limits placed on the general public are waived, either in whole or in part, for children who are members of 4H ( http://www.4-h.org/ ) or FFA ( http://www.ffa.org )*--with suitable proof, of course. All people pondering poultry procurement need to research their local regulations themselves. The information can be elusive, though there's a list here ( http://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/3/Laws ) that can help people in the US get started. However, even if the laws in an area allow for keeping chickens, anyone that is part of an HOA* will need to check the HOA agreement. In most cases where the city or county laws differ from an HOA agreement, the HOA agreement outweighs the laws, since the homeowner agreed to uphold the agreement. After due diligence, if the laws regarding poultry aren't clear (or if they're clear but not conducive to keeping chickens) one must decide if one wants to risk keeping chickens anyway. Illegal chickens can be confiscated, and have also been killed on the spot*. *Other countries may have similar organizations. *Home owner's association *Not common, and the person killing the animal in front of the owner is generally reprimanded, but still. **************************************************************************************************************** I saw the first post here, and it made me laugh;) http://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A1081252/conversation/view/F127931/T293736

Who Can Have Chickens? Chickens are allowed in places that one would not think they would be. Conversely, some places that most people would expect to find chickens do not allow poultry. Some places allow hens but no roosters, while others allow either. Some places place limits on number of birds, or type and size of enclosure, or on how near enclosures may be to the property lines or other buildings. Other places place no limits on anything. Permits for poultry are required in some areas, while in others, they are not. In yet other areas, any limits placed on the general public are waived, either in whole or in part, for children who are members of 4H ( http://www.4-h.org/ ) or FFA ( http://www.ffa.org )*--with suitable proof, of course. All people pondering poultry procurement need to research their local regulations themselves. The information can be elusive, though there's a list here ( http://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/3/Laws ) that can help people in the US get started. However, even if the laws in an area allow for keeping chickens, anyone that is part of an HOA* will need to check the HOA agreement. In most cases where the city or county laws differ from an HOA agreement, the HOA agreement outweighs the laws, since the homeowner agreed to uphold the agreement. After due diligence, if the laws regarding poultry aren't clear (or if they're clear but not conducive to keeping chickens) one must decide if one wants to risk keeping chickens anyway. Illegal chickens can be confiscated, and have also been killed on the spot*. *Other countries may have similar organizations. *Home owner's association *Not common, and the person killing the animal in front of the owner is generally reprimanded, but still. **************************************************************************************************************** I saw the first post here, and it made me laugh;) http://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A1081252/conversation/view/F127931/T293736

Oh, I know what the problem is--I'll repost again to make it read-able later.

The other day I read about some chickens that were stranded on the boarded-up bridge between downtown Boston and an island. Yes, that is *exactly* the sort of place you would not expect to find chickens. Or even to lose them.