I created this deck as a way to ask my landlord for permission to have backyard chickens in my rented house in Cleveland. I'm posting this here so that it might provide value to others working thorugh the permitting process. The Cleveland city permit for Chickens and Bees is available here: http://www.clevelandhealth.org/assets/documents/environment/Farm_animal_application-(Chickens-Ducks-Rabbits-Bees).pdf

1. Request for Backyard Chickens
Nicole Kusold

2. Requesting Permission To Obtain:
Three Golden Comet Hens
(No Roosters – No crowing)
One Coop
(Temporary Structure)
One Attached Run
(Temporary Structure)

3. Why?
• Chickens provide an owner with eggs, reduction of solid waste by
feeding food scraps to chickens, and a means of controlling bug and
weed populations in yards and gardens.
• Backyard chicken eggs are much healthier than their store bought
counterparts. Backyard chicken eggs contain:
– 1/3 the Cholesterol of store bought eggs
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2 times the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids
• 3 times the amount of Vitamin E
• 7 times more Beta Carotene
• Chickens make excellent chemical free pest and weed control​​
– Chickens will gobble up those pesky garden snails and slugs
– They'll even go after crickets and grass hoppers
– Hate pulling weeds? Chickens would love to help you out with that

4. Chickens are Legal In Cleveland
• City Council passed a law allowing residences to have up to
six chickens in a backyard.
• Zoning Rules:
http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/zoning/pdf/20504Farm
AnimalsBeesLicensing.pdf
• Application:
http://www.clevelandhealth.org/uploadedFiles/Environme
nt/Farm_animal_application-(Chickens-Ducks-Rabbits-
Bees).pdf
• “A signed statement from the property owner, if the
applicant is not the property owner, granting the applicant
permission to engage in the keeping of farm animals or
bees as described in the license application.”

5. ZONING RULES & USE OF LAND

6. Porch
Run
Use of Land
• Lot Size of [address]:
4,148 Sq Ft
• Max allowance for
[address] based on
permitting of 1 chicken per
each 800 sq feet: 5
chickens
• Requesting permission to
allow for 3 Chickens (2 less
than max allowance)
• Adequate space exists for
coop and run to co-exist
with garbage/recycling
cans and tree
Coop

7. ABOUT THE CHICKENS

8. • Golden Comet is also known as Golden Buff, Gold Star, Cinnamon
Queen
• Weight: Hens 4-6 pounds
• Golden Comment is a hybrid breed between a White Rock female
and a New Hampshire male
• Breed Characteristics:
– Quiet
– Small size is ideal for urban coops
– Friendly demeanor
– Hardy breed for winter cold; recommended
breed for Cleveland area.
– Very good egg layers
– Starts to lay eggs at a younger age than
most standard breeds
– Lays brown colored eggs
About the “Golden Comet” Breed

9. COOP & RUN

10. Proposed Coop
Kit to be purchased online and assembled onsite.
Overall Size: 48" W x 32 1/8" D (without front steps) x 43" H (longest / widest / tallest points)

11. Proposed Coop
Vent
Nesting Box
Droppings
Tray
• Sliding access door for chickens to enter and exit
• Hinged roof for easy food/water access and extract eggs
• Removable side and bottom sliding pan also allows for easy cleaning access
• Holds up to 2-4 chickens

12. Proposed Coop
Two nesting boxes

13. Proposed Coop
Roosts

14. Proposed Coop

15. Proposed Attached Run
Accessible for
cleaning
Will create a run that is attached to coop. Will allow
chickens outdoor access within a contained area.

16. Details of Run Flooring
1. Weed block cloth at the bottom of the run floor will prevent
weeds from growing up through the floor and allow
drainage.
2. Place sand on top of weed cloth.

17. Reasons Sand Inside Will be Placed
Inside The Coop And Run
• It’s Dry
– Superior drainage (if water spills)
– Doesn’t retain moisture
• Inexpensive ($15.00 per yard)
• Good for the chickens
– Risk of frostbite reduced in cold temperatures (as
moisture is not retained in the litter)
– Doesn’t conduct or retain heat in summer (as
straw/hay/shavings do)
– Keeps chicken’s feet clean and nails manicured
– Cleaner feet=cleaner eggs, particularly in rainy
conditions
– Chickens enjoy ‘dust-bath’ in sand
• Looks cleaner than other litter options
because it is cleaner
– Any dropped feed gets eaten, not lost in the litter
– Doesn’t decay or degrade inside the coop
– Desiccates droppings
– Easy clean-up (a once daily scooping & bi-annual
change)

18. LOGISTICS

19. Cleaning & Maintenance
• Daily
– Egg collection
– Clean-up run
– Change food and water
• Bi-Weekly
– Thorough coop & run cleaning
• Bi-Annual
– Sand replacement
• Droppings will be disposed of multiple times a week. Waste will be
bagged and placed in the garbage.
– Per email correspondence with Pamela Cross, Commissioner of
Environment at the Cleveland Department of Public Health on Friday,
April 10, 2013, trash disposal and composting are both approved
methods of disposing of chicken waste.

20. Neighbors
Addresses of all properties directly adjoining the
subject property:
• [addresses]

21. Move-Out
• Upon the date that I move out of [address], I
shall remove coop, run and sand in the run
from the property.
• Area that coop and run will be placed in shall
be returned to the same state that it currently
exists in.

22. Next Steps
1. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to
call or email me:
Nicole Kusold
[phone]
[email]
2. As required for permit, please “provide a signed statement from
the property owner granting permission to engage in the keeping
of farm animals or bees” (in this case, 3 chickens).
I have included a form letter and stamped self-addressed
envelope for your convenience.
Thank you for your consideration!