Secret backyard chickens have been a hot topic the last few years. Are you interested in keeping secret backyard chickens, but not sure where to start? Whether you live in a HOA, or just a city that restricts backyard chickens, I have a few tips to help you keeping those stealth hens on the down low.
First, the cover my butt statement:
Let me start by saying I am a law abiding citizen… but I believe that chicken laws are not in the general populations best interest. I suppose I can understand a limit or ban on roosters because their noise is obtrusive; but hens make very little noise compared to a yappy dog. So having said that, you need to research your local laws on chickens and do your best to comply with them. If you choose to keep chickens under the radar you accept full responsibility of the consequences should you be found out.
Now let’s talk about how you’re going to keep those secret backyard chickens!
Secret Backyard Chickens
Tip #1 – Your Coop should be lower than your backyard fence or wall. Typically backyard fences are about 6 feet tall;
I suggest your coop be no taller than 5 feet. Yes, for many of us, that mean bending over to get in there and clean things out; but it also means you’re keeping a low profile.
Tip #2 – Keep your coop and yard clean! Not only for the health and happiness of your lovely hens, but if you don’t you’re going to have flies. Your neighbors will not appreciate the extra flies in their backyard, at their bbq, in their house…etc. Even if their dog’s poo is all over their backyard, they’ll blame your chickens first!
Tip #3 – No roosters! I thought about not putting this tip, because it seems obvious to me that a rooster will quickly give you away. But lately I have seen a lot about rooster collars making it possible to keep roosters quiet and safe in backyards. I am not a fan of such devices because it keeps a rooster from fully being what he was designed to be. But furthermore, they don’t keep a rooster completely silent. So I say again, if you’re going to keep secret backyard chickens…stick to hens only. You DO NOT need a rooster for yummy morning eggs.
Tip #4 – Keep your flock small and manageable. You may want a dozen eggs every morning but let me tell you, the more laying hens you have the more noise you’ll have. They may or may not only make noise during laying; sometimes my girls get very demanding in calling me out for treats and the like. Some days they just seem to talk to each other more. Start small, you can always add more girls in later. And you must realize that some hens are just plain loud and may need to go. I had a couple of leghorns that never shut up – great layers but the noise was so intrusive for a neighborhood that I finally gave them to a friend with property. You can’t stay stealth with a bunch of loud mouth bitties giving you away.
Tip #5 – Clip those wings! Even if you don’t plan to free range your hens, you need to keep their wings clipped to ensure not accidental escapes happen. The last thing you need is for your secret backyard chickens to take flight over your neighbor’s wall and meet them or their hungry dogs! I once walked out my back door to find my favorite girl had flown on top of the coop and then up to the top of the wall and was just walking along the top for the world to see; and my neighbor’s big nasty dog. I had to entice her with blueberries and meal worms…she’s a smart girl who has me well trained. How to Clip Chicken’s Wings
Tip #6 – Be willing to educate. One of the biggest reasons people THINK they don’t want chickens in their neighborhoods is that they are not educated about them. If you decide to talk to your neighbors before getting hens, or you’re discovered, it is good to have some information about the benefits of backyard chickens. You can tell them 
how they provide free pest control, free fertilizer and amazing fresh eggs…which brings me to my next tip.
I suggest you pick up a copy of City Chicks for yourself and to share with others.
Tip #7 – When in doubt, bribe. Yeah, I know it is unseemly but sometimes you’ll find that your fresh eggs in the hands of a nosy neighbor can change everything. So yeah, I’ve given out my fair share of bribery eggs.
Tip #8 – My last tip isn’t really a tip so much as a call to action. We, backyard farmers, hoa homesteader, urban homestead, have to stop lurking in the shadows. If we really want to live this life we must fight for property rights. Get yourself into groups that are fighting for your right to keep backyard poultry. But be prepared, with any rebellion comes some backlash; and you may get turned in and lose your flock.
Those are my tips for keeping secret backyard chickens. It is a shame, really, that I even have to write an article like this. In 2017 we have moved so far away from what was normal only a few generations ago. I hope that property rights and common sense will make a way back to the forefront of our society. In the meantime I’ll do what I can to educate and get involved in changing laws and policies; I hope you’ll join me!
Definitely a lot of great information.
I was a secret backyard chickener for quite some time. I lived in Philadelphia in a row home with 3-foot high chain link in the back. I was a renter, so the fence was the fence. It surrounded a 20’x30′ yard.
I brought it up to my neighbors and they were fine. My landlord was completely supportive.
My first flock was completely decimated by the neighborhood racoons. The second faired much better. I started my second flock with 4-pullets. One became sick and she went back for the care I had no idea how to administer. I came home with two more.
I was notified that the pulley who was sick would be fine. I went to pick her up and came home with not one, but two. So I had my secret flock of 7.
It all worked out w the neighbors, even when one turned out to be a roo (I did use the collar…and he still crows, he just doesn’t belt it out since the collar restricts air from enter the area that allows him to crow).
I recently moved and bought a house. I checked into my areas laws and past cases relating to chickens. I found 3-cases where the township approved backyard chickens and found no denial cases.
Case1: 4-bantam silkies and 1-roo (.23 acre)
Case 2: 18 fowl to include chickens, ducks, and geese (.38 acre)
Case 3: 6-8 Guinea hen (.5 acre)
With that knowledge, I put in my application so I no longer need to be a secret backyard chickener!
I’m requesting up to but not limited to: 20 various fowl ( chickens (hens and roosters), gees, guinea and other fowl). I did have to describe in depth all the benefits of having “barnyard birds”, talk to my neighbors and provide responses, draw a plan (or use a plan from the web and advise that it will be similar, fill out the apply, make a ton of copies, and pay a fee.
I am pretty confident that I’ll be approved (the other cases lead me to believe this as one had a long list of neighborly complaints and was approved!).
So….making an anonymous call to request info about permits and other cases for where you live can give you an idea about becoming an “out of the closet” backyard chickener!!!!
That’s awesome – I hope you get approved!
I’m sure you’ve heard our saga here locally. It seems it doesn’t matter the amount of education that you provide to council, staff and those completely against chickens in our city, their opinions are what matters. Our fight isn’t completely over, I hope.
We had our girls for just about 2 years when our neighbor complained. She claimed that they smelled {we are 99% positive it was a fly trap she smelled}. We were forced to re-home our girls. At first we tried to take care of them on a friends property, for about 3 months we went over just about every day to feed and water them. It just became such a burden with no light at the end of the tunnel that the ordinance would change. So in September 2015 we permanently re-homed them with a co-worker of my husbands. They have a good life there.
Since that time the ordinance finally came to council on February 7, 2017 and they decided not to move forward with the ordinance change. I have continually reached out to Senator Farnsworth as he was the senator who introduced SB1151 & SB1140 and when this ordinance didn’t pass he put me in touch with a few local coalitions and groups that are fighting for rights to raise food in backyards. We shall see, we have a group on Facebook of people who mostly reside in our city that want to legalize backyard chickens or are okay with their neighbors having chickens.
Don’t be lazy about rodents. We were and before long, quite a few of these destructive demons decided living beside the buffet of chicken feed was heaven on Earth. Now we contain all food and put it away in the evening.
A lot less rodents equals happy neighbors.
We actually have a lot more tha our little town allows we are flying under the radar all the time. We put up a privacy fence on the one side we have a neighbor. At time the hens get noisy, but have not had any complaints. And we will never have a rooster it is not allowed in our town.
.
However we got to the point in this country that we have to hide our chickens is crazy!!!! We all need to be positive voices for responsible urban farming!
We had our neighbors realtor turn us in, we had our chickens for a couple years. We found out from the city inspector that we don’t have to let them on the property and they can not look over your fence. She also told us that if she came back and they were gone (we put them in our garage as she called before she came back) she would file the complaint as closed. We also found out that many of our neighbors were “stealth chicken keepers”
Unfortunately we moved to an HOA a year later and had to rehome them.
“To know chickens… is to love them!” If ever a veterinarian could figure out a way to safely neuter a growing, or grown, rooster, THAT veterinarian would be as rich as Croesus! Urban chickens are growing in popularity because they are such wonderful creatures but lately, opposition has increased dramatically because of “chicken dumping”. Ybor City in Tampa, Florida, has had a small population of “feral” chickens dating back to its founding by Cubans migrating up from Key West way back in the late 1800’s… these Key Westers naturally brought their beloved chickens with them and these chickens, and their descendants, have free-ranged historic Ybor City all these many years, achieving a “mascot” status by those who love them. Sadly, due to the rise in popularity of urban chickens, unwanted “pet” chickens, mostly roosters, are now being “dumped” in this lovely little town and upsetting the delicate balance. The original chickens (Bantams) were colorful and much smaller (both in size and volume) than many commercial breeds that are popular today with backyard chicken enthusiasts. With the unwanted and unexpected influx of these much larger chickens, and much LOUDER roosters, the “live-and-let-live” relationship between chickens and residents is in grave peril. Tensions are running high between the “pro” and “anti” chicken factions and Tampa’s city councilmen will soon be setting an example for other communities to follow… let us hope that they realize what a treasure their historic chickens truly are and recognize that their real problem is not so much their feral chicken population… but how to deal with the inhumane, and illegal, “dumping” of unwanted “pet” chickens. Any chicken owner knows that these poor, innocent hens and roosters feel only confusion and terror when their heartless owners abandon them (probably at night, too) in a city that does not want them, either. Alone, in alien surroundings, a solitary chicken is doomed, not even the resident chickens want them around! Sadly, the hostility towards these innocent unfortunates is increasing daily… these poor birds are not the enemy, they are the victims… and need to be rescued and re-homed, just as any unwanted pet (dog, cat, etc.) deserves to be rescued. Somewhere between “factory-farming” and “dumping”, there must be a better alternative for these marvelous creatures! Dylan Breese, the founder of the non-profit organization, “The Ybor Chickens Society”, has dedicated his life to helping all of Ybor’s chicken population. Hopefully, the citizens of Tampa will discover its own humanity and rekindle its “chicken love” in the solving of this dilemma! A very wise man once said: “The greatness of a nation can be judged by how it treats its animals.” (Mahatma Gandhi) The town council will state its position this Thursday, July 19, 2018… may Gandhi guide them! Please sign and send petition asap at:
https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/keep-our-chickens-protected.html
i had chickens that were illegal,
so i took two male leghorn chicks
and put them each in a box with an apple
i put one in the lobby of city hall ,
and another on the door step of a rich person,
i left town and moved out where my hens were legal,
4 years later i visited my home town and they changed the law to where you can have 20 chickens- even roosters,
it was treated like having a barking dog,, if no complaints no problem,
i’m just thinking someone fell in love with that leghorn thinking he was going to get a hen but got a rooster but couldn’t depart with it so they changed the law,