I recently rented a cottage in Santa Cruz and was surprised to see the tenants had a chicken coop with 2 hens and they collected the eggs daily. When I would show the cottage the hens would scurry around the yard – no bugs at this property was my first thought.
As a property manager it is hard enough to find owners willing to rent to tenants with cats, dogs, birds (in cages) or even fish. Now, we have chickens. I was wondering what the city code said about chickens. It is the rooster that people have problems with but apparently hens are a wonderful pet and very eco-friendly. The roosters are banned in urban areas but hens don’t require a permit of any kind.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel, Home & Garden section, Saturday, June 12, 2010, written by Laura Copeland, lcopeland@santacruzsentinel.com and www.santacruzsentinel.com had a 2 page article on chickens and how they have taken off in Santa Cruz County. Scotts Valley Feed sold 3,000 chickens in 2009 up from 150-300 just four years earlier. 300 were sold out in 45 minutes.
If you want more info about raising hens there are workshops, of course, this is Santa Cruz County. Contact 831-466-3444, www.diggardensnursery.com To read the entire article you can find it online or click the links above.
I wonder how soon I will see hens listed on my rental apps under pets?
Please check out my website at www.PortolaRentals.com if you are interested in properties in Santa Cruz or have rentals in Santa Cruz, CA.
Kathleen Richards
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The only problem w/having chickens in the backyard is that they draw rats. I am having that problem w/my next door neighbor, who was told she could not have chickens. She says she is looking for another place to live, but hasn’t found one, yet. She wants to be close to UCSC. She’s a teacher at a local school and is going for her PhD. I would like to move where I CAN have chickens and a yard and a long-term thing. I’m on HUD so it’s been difficult to find a landlord willing to rent to a person, no matter who they are, on HUD. Chickens are great pets, though. I miss having them, and dirt to work in.
Mya, I will have to ask around about the rats. This is the first I have heard this issue with chickens. Good luck finding a place with dirt to accomodate your wish for chickens.