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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Got a Chicken in Your City Backyard??

Got a chicken in your backyard? You're not alone. Across Canada and the U.S., the backyard chicken movement has mobilized — and in many cases, it's getting henpecked by local authorities.







That's because there's no hard and fast rule when it comes to keeping chickens in residential areas. While Victoria, B.C., and Niagara Falls, Ont. allow them — and the city councils of Halifax and Vancouver are weighing them — Toronto, Calgary, Waterloo, Ont. and a whole host of other communities forbid them.






In fact, some residents have recently been charged for keeping chickens within city limits, the latest being a Calgary mother who claims she just wanted to feed her family the freshest eggs possible.






This piecemeal approach to legislating backyard chickens has given rise to some pretty heated discussions around keeping poultry. It has also spawned a number of vocal pro-chicken advocacy groups, with names such as the Halifax Chicken Group, The Canadian Liberated Urban Chicken Klub (also known as CLUCK), Backyard Chickens and Poultry Canada, Omelettes for Everyone and the Waterloo Hen Association.






These groups are on a mission to promote what they believe is a great way of life: an inexpensive, healthy way to obtain pure food from a low-maintenance bird.






Pros: a natural choice


Backyard chicken supporters believe there's nothing healthier — and cheaper — than raising egg-laying chickens.






"Chickens lay eggs all the time, so if you're feeding a family of six you would have a source of eggs that were fresh, healthy and right on your doorstep," Ian Aley, with the Toronto non-profit group FoodShare, told CBC News.






Because chickens eat table scraps, they reduce solid municipal waste, their proponents argue. As for the waste chicken produce, it can be used as fertilizer, eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers. (iStock)


According to the Waterloo Hen Association, chickens are also environmentally friendly. "Chickens are productive … they provide eggs for personal consumption and fertilizer for gardens," reads their Facebook page.






Other groups, such as Halifax Chickens, add that the eggs laid by backyard chickens are free of pesticides and antibiotics used in commercial chicken farming. "I think it's really important for [my daughter] to grow up knowing where food comes from," said Lola Brown, one of the members of the group, which numbers 500.






Because chickens eat table scraps, they reduce solid municipal waste, their proponents argue. As for the waste chicken produce, it can be used as fertilizer, eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers.






Saving money also comes into play. "As food prices go up, people are looking for affordable ways to feed themselves," reads the Waterloo Hen Association page. Those who raise chickens don't have to fork over $4 for those free-range eggs at the supermarket.






Cons: a smelly mess, rats


Many residents who have found themselves living next door to someone who keeps chickens aren't as keen on the idea.






One reason is that other animals, such as rats, mice or raccoons are frequently drawn to their feed. Halifax resident Pauline Murphy said she wound up with rats in her basement two years ago when one of her neighbours had chickens.






"When the chickens left the neighbourhood, the rats shortly afterward disappeared too, and we've had no evidence of them since," she said.






Another complaint that's often cited is noise. While one or two chickens aren't too noisy, 20 birds — the number that's often allowed under city bylaws — can make a ruckus. While the crowing of a rooster at sunrise is quaint when visiting a farm, it's not so lovely when it wakes an urban family daily.






And there's the concern over mess. "Unfortunately, not everybody would keep their coop clean," writes one CBC News.ca commenter. " Chicken coops are very smelly."






Smell aside, public health officials also worry about the spread of disease, which can occur if bird carcasses or feces are disposed of improperly. Salmonella is one bacterium that can be passed from bird to human if a person comes in contact with bird feces or eats infected eggs.






As well, the spread of avian flu around the world in 2005 highlighted how easily a virus can spread through bird and human contact. According to the World Health Organization, this virus, which attacks the respiratory system, caused 241 deaths between 2003 and 2008 worldwide.






Support in poll


So where do most people stand on the backyard chicken issue? As of March 12, 2010, 70 per cent of readers who participated in CBC.ca's informal online poll on keeping backyard chickens supported the idea.






Many are lobbying their local governments to enact bylaws allowing backyard chickens, while putting in place rules to limit their numbers and to ensure they're raised and handled properly.






The latest pro-chicken march, organized by CLUCK on March 10 in the streets of Calgary, had 100 people in attendance.






"Especially since this works in huge cities like Vancouver and Seattle, why can't we have it work in Calgary, where we're even more agricultural friendly?" said Jennifer Cavanagh, who was in the crowd.














Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/03/12/f-backyard-chicken.html#ixzz0l5syR2yw

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So....look for a new poll on the right sidebar. Do YOU think chickens should be allowed in urban backyards?


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11 comments:

msholiday said...

I loved having chickens in my backyard until they brought in the bylaw. I had three, quiet, producing girls. Used cedar chips for their litter and didn't clean the coop but once a year. No smell, but I did see mice, which the girls would try and get.

Linda Foley said...

My chickens were full sized birds and they actually caught the mice at times..

No moose eh Annie? lol ;)

Linda Foley said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Linda Foley said...

Come to think of it, I think the goat create more of a problem than chickens - sometimes the goats share the feed dish with the mice and squirrels! But we live in the country not the city.

Ken and Mary of Fancy Fibers Farm said...

Before moving to the farm, we kept 4 hens in our backyard in a suburb of Dallas. Of course, we were violating a city ordinance, which we proudly defied for about a year or so before moving to the country. We never had any problems with pests or smell and the girls were always very quiet and stayed in the backyard. Plus, the neighbors had the benefit of fresh eggs, which didn't hurt their feelings. It's become a chic thing now here in North Texas to keep chickens and some folks go to a great deal of expense to do so, building their hens some pretty fine digs. Also, I can share this: A fellow who breeds and sells all manner of poultry, started selling handmade coops, organic feed, and such to a Dallas organic nursery and they wanted him to bring chicks to sell on Saturdays, but some locals in this old, ritzy neighborhood complained to the city and he was prevented from bring the chicks into town. What a stink all that raised - the goings-on, not the chickens. Ken and Mary of Fancy Fibers Farm

Kellie said...

In Eau Claire, town of aprox 35,000 folks 25 miles se of us, the city council is currently trying to get an ordinance passed to keep 5 hens in town. There would also be a clause that no butchering would be allowed.

Love your pig picture!

Linda Foley said...

Kellie, how will they know if you butcher a chicken??? I'd do it in the bathtub and just clean the mess up... the innards would go in the compost (no smell if done correctly). Or they could be cooked up and fed to the dog... lol

I can understand cities not wanting to keep chickens - well no - let me retract that. I can see them wanting to keep the numbers down. But I just don't see the point of banning them altogether.

Heidi said...

Our family will have 6 chicks in a month, they will be "illegal" chickens. We would be allowed to have chickens legally if we had a minimum of 1 acre, however that comes at a cost of close to a million dollars. Makes for some expensive eggs. I've talked to our neighbours on both sides and they are completely ok with us having some feathered friends, of course they'll get some eggs. I'm crossing my fingers that a bylaw officer doesn't come knocking at our door.

Aunt Krissy said...

I have chickens, I like my chickens, but I will be the mean one. I don't think chickens belong in an urban setting. I know, we are all good chickens owners here in our little blog world but, a lot of people wont be. I, at one time lived next to some urban chicken people. Their chickens got out all the time and got into my yead and made a mess, would get on my roof and make a racket in the morning. The smell was bad, bad bad. No chickens in the city.

Tim and Kari O'Brien said...

I say yes to responsible chicken raisers in any environment. When Joel Salatin spoke down here he said 30 years ago every household knew how to clean a chicken, now many don't know they come with wings, legs and feet!
We raise a hatch of chicks every year in the classroom and each year students take them home to rural and urban settings. The chickens and the kids thrive, and the families reconnect with the land.
Yes with a healthy dose of responsibility attached for any age level.

Annie said...

Thanks for all your comments! Krissy, I would think you were living next door to obviously bad chicken owners!

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