As usual, the problem is the inconsistency with which city ordinances are enforced or not enforced.

If chickens are allowed in houses, and seeing eye horses, what is next?

Why don’t we just apply to the United Nations to become considered a Third World Nation within a nation?

At least then we would be eligible for federal funds and funding from world relief organizations.

Happy Here @I tried to find the wordings but actually state law doesn’t require permission from neighbors. It only gives space requirements and requirements of feeder and waterer for keeping them. Different cities have some distance requirements. For example Royal Oak,MI Only requires owners to keep chickens contained or in pen on their property. Other cities require different things which range from 5 feet from adjacent property line to 15 feet or 20 feet from closest dwelling.

In a quick search I found these few cities which already allows different number of chickens with or without permit.

SanFrancisco; No permit for 4 or fewer chicken ;20 ft from any door or window
Anaheim; Unspecified number of chickens with annual permit.
San Jose (California)Allows upto 6 chickens with out permit: roosters are prohibited when they are more than 4 months old. Permit is required for more than 6 chickens. 15 feet from neighboring structures
Oakland, CA. Keep chicken enclosed, & 20 ft. from any church or school.
Petaluma, CA. Up to twenty animals. Chickens must be kept five feet from a neighbor’s fence or property line, and they must be kept 20 ft. from neighboring dwellings.
San Mateo, CA. Keeping chickens requires a permit here. Up to 10 hens per household. Chickens must be kept in an appropriate pen/coop
Alpharetta, GA. There is a 75 chicken maximum.
Atlanta, GA. Chickens are allowed here.
New Haven (Title III,Ch.7 ,Sec7-2)No prohibition on keeping chickens in city; chickens cant roam at large
Chicago (Title 7,Ch-7-12,Sec 7-12-300)No prohibition on keeping chickens in city; cannot kill chickens in the city.
Wichita (Chapter 6, Sec. 6.04.157) Upto 3 fowl without permit; upto 12 fowl with 25$ fee for annual permit. UPDATED recently for 5 fowl WITHOUT permit.
Belmont, MA. Allows up to 5 hens
Brockton, MA. Hens are allowed, but roosters are not.
Somerset, MA. No limits on the amount of chickens allowed.
Baltimore City, MD. You can have up to for hens with permit, no roosters.
Ann Arbor, MI. An ordinance was approved on June 2, 2008. Up to 4 hens are now allowed with permit.
Lansing, Capitol of MI. Recently approved the keeping of 5 city chickens, with permit
St. Louis, MO. You can keep up to 4 chickens without a permit. If you want to keep more, you must file a permit with the Health Commissioner.
San Antonio (Chapter5 ,Art.V , Sec. 5-109)The total number of domestic fowl(chickens) allowed at a residence is 5. More need a permit.
Houston (Ch;6.Art.II Sec.6-38 )7 or fewer chickens with permit if person under doctor’s orders for fresh chicken eggs
Royal Oak, MI (http://ecode360.com/?custid=ro2029)Chickens must not be allowed to run at large within the limits of the City. No restriction on number or roosters.
Flat rock (Chapter 14, Article 1, Sec 14.4)Fowl can be kept within the city commonly classified as pets.
Ypsilanti,MI allows 4 hens with permit.

9:42. Keeping of chickens.
(1) Any person who keeps chickens in the City of Ann Arbor shall obtain a permit from the City prior to acquiring the chickens. No permit shall be issued to a person, by the City, and no chickens shall be allowed to be kept unless the owners of all residentially zoned adjacent properties (as defined below in subsection (3)j.) consent in writing to the permit and this consent is presented along with an application for a permit. Written statements waiving the distance requirement in subsection (3) below shall also be submitted at the time of application and become a part of the permit if issued. Application shall be made to the City Clerk and the fee for the permit shall be as determined by Council resolution.
Permits expire and become invalid 5 years after the date of issuance. A person who wishes to continue keeping chickens shall have obtained a new permit on or before the expiration date of the previous permit. Application for a new permit shall be pursuant to the procedures and requirements that are applicable at the time the person applies for a new permit.
(2) Notwithstanding the issuance of a permit by the City, private restrictions on the use of property shall remain enforceable and take precedence over a permit. Private restrictions include but are not limited to deed restrictions, condominium master deed restrictions, neighborhood association by-laws, and covenant deeds. A permit issued to a person whose property is subject to private restrictions that prohibit the keeping of chickens is void. The interpretation and enforcement of the private restriction is the sole responsibility of the private parties involved.
(3) A person who keeps or houses chickens on his or her property shall comply with all of the following requirements:
a. Have been issued the permit required under subsection (1) of this section.
b. Keep no more than 4 chickens.
c. The principal use of the person’s property is for a single-family dwelling or two-family dwelling.
d. No person shall keep any rooster.
e. No person shall slaughter any chickens.
f. The chickens shall be provided with a covered enclosure and must be kept in the covered enclosure or a fenced enclosure at all times. Fenced enclosures are subject to all provisions of Chapter 104 (Fences).
g. A person shall not keep chickens in any location on the property other than in the backyard. For purposes of this section, “backyard” means that portion of a lot enclosed by the property’s rear lot line and the side lot lines to the points where the side lot lines intersect with an imaginary line established by the rear of the single-family or two-family structure and extending to the side lot lines.
h. No covered enclosure or fenced enclosure shall be located closer than 10 feet to any property line of an adjacent property;
i. All enclosures for the keeping of chickens shall be so constructed or repaired as to prevent rats, mice, or other rodents from being harbored underneath, within, or within the walls of the enclosure. A covered enclosure or fenced enclosure shall not be located closer than 40 feet to any residential structure on an adjacent property provided, however, this requirement can be waived as follows:
(i) If the principal use of applicant’s property is for a single-family dwelling, to obtain such a waiver the applicant shall present at the time of applying for a permit the written statements of all adjacent landowners that there is no objection to the issuance of the permit.
(ii) If the principal use of the applicant’s property is for a two-family dwelling, to obtain such a waiver the applicant shall present at the time of applying for a permit the written statements of all adjacent landowners and of the occupants of the other dwelling stating that there is no objection to the issuance of the permit.
j. For purposes of this section, adjacent property means all parcels of property that the applicant’s property comes into contact with at 1 or more points, except for parcels that are legally adjacent to but are in fact separated from the applicant’s property by a public or private street.
k. All enclosures for the keeping of chickens shall be so constructed or repaired as to prevent rats, mice, or other rodents from being harbored underneath, within, or within the walls of the enclosure.
l. All feed and other items associated with the keeping of chickens that are likely to attract or to become infested with or infected by rats, mice, or other rodents shall be protected so as to prevent rats, mice, or other rodents from gaining access to or coming into contact with them.
m. If the above requirements are not complied with, the City may revoke any permit granted under this section and/or initiate prosecution for a civil infraction violation.
(4) A person who has been issued a permit shall submit it for examination upon demand by any Police Officer or Code Enforcement Officer.
(Ord. No. 08-19, § 2, 6-2-08, eff. 8-7-08)
9:43, 9:44. Reserved.

By the way, dogs are dirty too and we allow them. Just saying … it’s not about the type of animal, but about the care that the animal is given by it’s owner that makes it an issue.

I have a family of 5, we go through about 2 dozen eggs each week.

NOooooooooooooo … animal rights group? I’m confused as to why they would have any opinion on responsible individuals caring for animals in a way that is more humane than the industry that most of us support when we buy our eggs at the grocery store.