Can We Have Goats??

[Train2110]

Hello, new to this site, I have been on BackYardChickens for a few months now.

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, but looking for some opinions.

We bought our new place this spring, five acres in a Right-to-Farm community, eastern New York. After two months we got our first four chickens. Within another month, that has grown into nine, funny how that goes.

My wife would really like to get a couple of goats next spring, really sooner but I am not up to building a goat barn in the winter . The problem is we are not sure if we can legally have them. I have not contacted our town yet. This is how the zoning code reads:

N. AGRICULTURE.
1. The growing of field and garden crops, vineyards, orchards and nurseries; the keeping of livestock on a lot of ten (10) acres or more; and the keeping of fowl on a lot of five (5) acres or more shall be permitted as allowed by the Schedule of Use Regulations provided:

I guess our question is, does this mean commercial farming or just plain old no livestock, goats, period unless you have ten acres? The part that makes us question is the growing of field and garden crops. Are they saying I can not have a garden if I don't live on ten acres?

Just does not seem right to us that we could not have two or three goats on five acres.

Thank you for any input!!

 

[lilhill]

From just reading it, it sounds as though you are okay with your chickens, but other livestock (goats are livestock), you are going to have to have at least 10 acres. You can check with your zoning committee and see what they say or let them point you in the right direction.

 

[jduffy01]

I would contact your local zoning officer and ask him. I am in western NY and live in an area zoned agriculture/residential. This means I can have as many livestock as I want without hassle. I believe the right to farm thing is more about legalities with lawsuits and such, but i don't know much about it. Your zoning officer should have the answers for you. I had to laugh when finding all the rules in my town out. I can have cows that poop a ton and not get a permit but if I wanted more than 4 dogs I needed a kennel lisence and they were worried about dog feces disposal. I justified my Great Pyrenees by stating they are LGD and they didn't give me any problems.

 

[Train2110]

Thank you for the replys. We want to have a small garden as well and with the way it appears to be written I don't know if we can. That makes no sense either.

 

[freemotion]

You could apply for a variance if that is indeed the law. It doesn't sound reasonable....I can have goats, horses, cows in my suburban MA neighborhood as long as I have 1.5 acres. There is an actual list of how many of each time of animal I can have on my 4 acres. If I had them all I would have a dusty dirt lot!

 

[Train2110]

Well I talked with Zoning Chairman at lunch. I guess two people have sought a variance and have been denied in the last year. He said by all means file the $75 variance paperwork and see what happens.

On a side note, with five acres and can legally have three horses in my yard right now no questions asked, but not one goat .

 

[glenolam]

That's a bummer, for sure! I'm fortunate to live on a larger piece of property, but the whole town is ag so there's no restrictions for us either. Maybe you could talk to the two other people who applied and possibly change the ordinance?

 

[AbiMack]

There are many places (even within city limits) that goats are considered pets. I saw on the news just the other night people in Portland OR walking them on leashes in residential areas! If you are allowed to have chickens, I can't imagine how you wouldn't be allowed to have goats. I am in a rural subdivision with covenants that haven't been reviewed since the 70's. We have 2 goats, and 5 hens, and I supposed someone could make a fuss if they wanted to. The wooden privacy fence around our acre helps--they can't see anything-- if only our darned Nubian would be QUIET!!! Oh the joys of having animals.

 

[Calliopia]

Our 'development' was build back in the 50's. We have 1/2 an acre total and our house is of the conerstone houses just as you drive in the development.

Goats and chickens in de yard!! Sometimes I freaking love the "NO zoning" fanatics around here. Sometimes it's a pain as in when the neighbor is the ugliest trailer on the planet but meh... I'm allowed to have goats so they can have their ugly trailer.


When we were in town though some of our neighbors had chickens which was a BIG no no according to the city but since nobody cared and reported them.... they were there for years. My thought was if you want to buy a 2000 parrot aviary for your city chickens... you go right ahead with that. I'm not going to be the one to burst that bubble. "Oh honey, it's so pretty and it will only take us 7948 years to make it up in egg savings".

Anyway, I digress. My point is a lot of 'zoning issues' are really neighbor issues. If you talk to your neighbors and they agree not to tell on you. I say go for it.

 

[RoeDylanda]

We're zoned for goats but still have to jump through several hoops to build a shed for them. Talking to the town Sanitarian (I do love that title!) it turns out that the most common complaint from neighbors has to do with odors/manure. Maybe if you did some PR outreach first with the neighbors it would bolster your case. Show them the plan for the building, where the manure will be stored/composted, and ask for *written* support to submit with your application. If you've kept your chickens clean and inoffensive that will go a long way towards convincing the neighbors to help you out with the goats!

Good luck!