Eggcellent Advice

With the price of eggs rising like a SpaceX launch and spring fast approaching, many residents are inquiring about raising their own chickens. If you are one of those folks thinking about becoming a small-scale chicken farmer you might want to check out your Township’s ordinance concerning raising animals on your property.

If you live on one of our lakes, your property is likely to be zoned as Lakes Residential where livestock is not allowed in any quantity. The same holds true for parcels less than 2 acres in size. If you have a parcel of 2 acres or more, it depends on how your property is zoned.

Section 340-36 Keeping and Raising Domestic Animals can be found on the web by following this link on ecode360.com.

You need to know how your property is zoned. The zoning designation can be found by doing a Property search at this link: BS&A Online . Scroll down half-way and find your Zoning Code and acreage.

It may not be the easiest ordinance to decipher because of the calculation of animal units per acre based on the size of the lot and the zoning. So, if you have any questions, call our Zoning Administrator who is generally in the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and he will help clarify any confusion.

Another important factor to consider is the chicken coop. Depending on the size of the structure, you may need a permit. And, when it comes to keeping livestock, great fences make great neighbors, and they are required when it comes to keeping livestock.

The most eggcellent advice I can give is to do the math! Total up the cost of the coup, the fencing, the chicken feed, as well as the value of your time in building it, cleaning up after chickens and harvesting your eggs. You may just find that $7 per dozen is money well spent or you can buy from local growers who are always looking to sell their surplus eggs, usually at a lower cost than the supermarkets.