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Novel_Engineering_29 t1_je4t0x2 wrote

I have kept chickens in Stanton Heights for years. I have a 5 foot chain link fence and they rarely get out (when they do it's because the local squirrel terrorizes them). Roosters are illegal in the city and hens are quieter than your average pet dog so the neighbors don't care. Keep your coop tidy and your food locked up to prevent vermin. I recommend getting a "no waste" feeder because chickens are the messiest eaters on earth and the local rats will move in to clean up the excess unless you prevent that.

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toripearson_19 t1_je6af06 wrote

That's interesting. We moved from Friendship recently and the house behind our building had a rooster and cock-a-doodle-doo'd every morning lol

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AccomplishedCut4207 t1_je4jvjc wrote

My neighbors have them. Their fence is not very secure and they are often loose, which scares me because one time they got into my yard and my dog was chasing them…but I mostly was just upset that the chicken is now traumatized 😂 other than that, they are very quiet and I’ve had no issues. Especially when they share their eggs!

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SewBee_It t1_je4sk7y wrote

No permit needed-just make sure you have enough square footage on your property and a proper sized coop!

No roosters allowed.

The only time my hens are really singing their egg song is around 10-10:30am

Check out r/backyardchickens for other tips.

I’m also happy to help out-I live in the city and have had chickens for a year now :) feel free to DM

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unenlightenedgoblin t1_je5sge0 wrote

Yes I think it’s 1200 sq foot or greater lot gives you up to 5 hens (or 2 goats) by-right. I was looking into that possibility when house hunting.

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ClothesGreen8716 OP t1_je4tjax wrote

I appreciate it! I've had chickens for several years in a rural area, but never in a city so never really had to consider permits or courtesy toward neighbors before

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SewBee_It t1_je4tu6p wrote

Oh, excellent-I thought you were starting from scratch. You should be all good then so long as you have the space!

People are always so interested in our birds when they walk by (our yard faces an alleyway) so be prepared for some gawkers lol 😂

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RoguePierogi t1_je59ij0 wrote

I occasionally watch my neighbors' chickens when they're out of town and I love it! There was one incident of something getting in (lost 2 that time) and another time they got out but I believe all came back... But considering that's all the chicken drama for 4 years, not too bad!

I think that a lot of our other neighbors have no clue the chickens are even back there.

I can occasionally hear them clucking from my house, but it's not disruptive or disturbing by any means. I think it's so cool to be able to hear both the T announcing "Red Line, North Shore" and chickens from my yard. Oh, Beechview.

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el_goate t1_je4iutg wrote

Neighbor had some two doors down in Brookline until the hawks, foxes, or coyotes got in. The sounds didn’t bother me too much. Would have been better if they didn’t have a rooster. The hens clucking was minimal and I didn’t notice any smells. Go for it!

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UnsurprisingDebris t1_je4lgt5 wrote

Roosters are not allowed to be kept in yards in the City for exactly this reason. Your neighbor wasn't following the law.

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ShatteredAvenger t1_je4oe45 wrote

I suspect a lot of folks only know that chickens are legal, but don't know the legal distinction between hens and roosters.

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Aggravating_Foot_528 t1_je4reje wrote

It can also be hard to sex chicks accurately so some may turn into roosters and people don't know what to do.

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ClothesGreen8716 OP t1_je4ykes wrote

I feel for those people, but it's one of the many reasons buying chicks isn't a good idea for most.

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KeisterApartments t1_je5bxl8 wrote

Let me understand. You got the hen, the chicken, and the rooster. The rooster goes with the chicken. So who's having sex with the hen?

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KentuckYSnow t1_je51l63 wrote

They probably have roosters that identify as hens.

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Tchotchke78 t1_je4jls1 wrote

A lot of people don't realize how secure a coop needs to be, chicken wire doesn't cut it! Small predators can easily get through that. Just curious about the rooster situation... did they leave him in an outdoor coop?

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el_goate t1_je4k439 wrote

I believe so. They have a wooden coop with a fenced in run attached. All within a fenced in yard. However, the coop was right up against the back of their yard which is adjacent to a large wooded area with lots of predators. I never actually saw the birds. Only heard them.

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Sinnex88 t1_je4k68q wrote

Is that the same house that had the goat?

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kgreys t1_je4x9km wrote

I have two neighbors with chickens. I think it's awesome. I never hear them. Get those chickens!!

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PollyEsterCO t1_je6ewzb wrote

My neighbors have them! They have about five chickens in a small backyard enclosure that’s decorated with string lights and has a door that allows them access into a (presumably heated) garage for when it’s cold.

I love to watch the chickens when I drive by! I highly recommend the chickens, if not solely for the eggs then for a positive egg-sperience 😁

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Floopydoodler t1_je6ccio wrote

I looked into it a few years ago and the permit fee was $350 and the requirements were for more land than I had to place a coop far enough from property lines. 😞

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dingurth1 t1_je8ctok wrote

I don't know if things have changed since then or if you were looking in the wrong place, but there's no permit requirement, and afaik, for zoning it only needs a 5ft setback. But you do need a minimum 2000sqft lot space (including the footprint of the home)

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Floopydoodler t1_je9tm9o wrote

It was an informational talk at the library. It seemed legit and there were a couple of speakers (one was from the city of Pgh, can't remember who the others were), they even talked about getting your nearest neighbors to sign off or something to appease the permit requirements. But my takeaway was the cost of the permit and the amount of land needed was larger than my lot, so I didn't explore it further. I'm sure things have been updated as this was about 10 years ago.

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Asleep_Heron2179 t1_je4widy wrote

Our neighbors chickens got loose. One laid eggs at next doors house. A hawk killed a few. Keep your chickens in your own yard.

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ClothesGreen8716 OP t1_je4x3xf wrote

I agree, I would never let them roam.

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Aggravating_Foot_528 t1_je4hyaq wrote

you used to need to apply for a permit - https://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/Urban_Agriculture_Handout_New_Legislation_Version.pdf

But now it seems you don't -

https://firemancreative.net/city-of-pittsburgh-passes-new-urban-agriculture-zoning-code/

https://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/2015.03.10_-_Urban_Agriculture_Final_Revision.pdf

I'd still call the city anyway to find out the exact requirements. It seems that you need a decent amount of space even for a few chickens within the city, and not many people have that much space especially if you're in an east end neighborhood.

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JAK3CAL t1_je4yp9a wrote

We kept a large flock but just over the border in Warshington co; some pro tips anyways, hens are quiet so no one cares and if you share eggs when you can everyone loves you anyways. Good luck!

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KentuckYSnow t1_je51due wrote

The raccoons will love you for bringing them fresh chicken.

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ClothesGreen8716 OP t1_je51ug2 wrote

I've had chickens for years in an area with more predators than Pittsburgh, but thanks for your comment, I guess?

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fate3 t1_je6iiv1 wrote

Not sure why downvoted, that's a legit threat?

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jreiland07 t1_je4kvfw wrote

Well I know someone in my neighborhood does because I hear it at 4 AM every day

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GargantuanWitch t1_je4qith wrote

You're in fucking Trafford, which is barely considered a city, and certainly not considered Pittsburgh.

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