Project by Thomas Corn in Middletown, NY
Five years ago we decided to raise chickens for eggs. So I had my wife find a picture of a coop she liked and I was to copy it. When I was finished the coop looked nothing like the picture, basically I took the idea of having it off the ground with a run area underneath and then proceeded to build. I have been a woodworker for 30 some years but never built anything like this. The coop has electric and a 1000CFM fan for ventilation and thermostat controlled heat lamps. The coop is entirely screwed together. Unfortunately we had to find homes for our chickens because of zoning laws. But we are moving to Vermont and will do it again as we loved having the chickens. And that one will be done with post and beam construction.
Unfortunately the laws are designed to favor the rich and they are quite unfair to the animals too. In New York state the law reads you must have 2 acres to have the following. And the Town of Mount Hope that we live in follows this.
Two horses or two goats or two sheep or two cows or two calves or any mixture of the above up to two for the first two acres, with one additional of any of the above animals for each additional acre
Not more than 20 fowl, with permitted fowl being limited to chickens, guinea fowl, geese, ducks, birds of prey, pigeons, or similar fowl.
The law is unjust even for the animals. Horses need at least 2 acres per horse for them to be healthy. But around here they live in nothing but mud and dust when most people will use maybe 1 acre for the horses and 1 acre for the house, pool, lawn it is just wrong.
The amount of manure from one horse 45+lbs/day. From 100 chickens 15-18lbs/day. But you can only have 20!
We had 40+ chickens on 3/4 of an acre with no problems, all fenced in. The benefits were incredible, natural fertilizer (awsome gardens), Hardly any ticks, we took off maybe 2 per week from our 2 dogs, now we take off 10 or more per day. So now to control ticks we have to use poison which kills everything.
Most people new we had them and no one cared. But our neighbors who fed them the first year before we put up the fence are going to sell and we beleive that is why they complained, to which the town reacted. At the same time the town did nothing about their illegal dumping of construction debris, junk vehicles, tires and 5 gallon pails scattered about their property. (Not even the NYS DEC would do anything) And the pool that was put in without permit and is out of level by 10 inches sitting on a bank. It is only a matter of time till it lets go and 20 tons of water comes straight for our house.
Unfortunately most people don’t care about the planet only what they can take from it, if people really cared about there “Carbon Footprint” these laws would be reversed. But to leave a simple clean life in harmoney with nature is against the law.
Thank you for your comment and enjoy Georgia as we will Vermont when we can get the funds to leave this state.
The Socialist Republic of New Yorkistan – they would love it if everyone would just leave it to the rich city-dwellers who probably complained about this family raising chickens – OMG gonna catch the bird flu.
We moved from the SRoNY to the Great and Free State of Georgia in 2013 and are almost overwhelmed by the FREEDOM we enjoy
That is a great coop Thomas, well done!
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t get to keep your chickens, I hope you will be able to again soon. I don’t understand why so many cities have laws against raising chickens.
I mean people are allowed to have all sorts of critters for pets, what’s wrong with chickens?
Thanks Aron, We actually live in the country, sort of, but the area around NYC is just one big development anymore
Thank you for the comments Thomas. All I can think is this…
“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”
The laws of men, are written by fools.