Food Bytes

While the idea of a back-yard coop sounds romantic and fun, the reality is probably less so. Especially when you have to consider, what do you do with the really smelly poop.

Growing up on a farm, I certainly appreciated the availability of fresh eggs and meat from our chickens. Recently I have been wondering about the ability to keep a few chickens, but haven't pursued it. My friends, of course, laugh at the suggestion, but the benefits keep adding up. Besides, there are plenty of less healthy habits to keep!

You bet I would! There is much to be learned from raising chickens....and eating them! They recycle alot of kitchen scraps...provide eggs (and eventually meat)and are a means to teach our children how to raise their own food! It is something we are all going to need to do if prices keep increasing and wages don't!

One of my favorite photographs from my childhood is a picture of Baba - my great-grandmother standing in the front yard of her house in Point Douglas in Winnipeg in her vegetable garden with an apron full of chicks.

Urban chicken coops were commonplace in the Chinese, Greek and Portuguese neighborhoods of Toronto when I first moved there 25 years ago, There were live chickens in Kensington Market too. The old man next door on Clinton had a rooster who awoke half the street at dawn. Toronto changed its by-laws and the chickens disappeared.

I miss those chickens - and the thrifty, practical old country people who kept them. I'm not sure what my landlord would say about a chicken coop on the balcony though...

I'd be quite happy to see chickens and chicken coops in the city again. If people are doing it for environmental reasons maybe city garages could stop housing the car and start housing a few hens and a few bicycles instead.

A couple years ago when my son was 4, he watched over 20 hens & roosters for the winter and summer, collecting the eggs and feeding/watering them twice a day. He loved doing it and he is excited we may have chickens again.

I grew up in Toronto but now live on the frontier's edge in Prince George on 5 acres. six years ago we built a little coop for a dozen hens. Now we have over fifty!! They're kinda cute in a dorky sort of way. They'll trim your grass, eat bugs (ours loved pine beetle larvae) and most egg layers will give you one nifty egg a day. They'll eat all you compost too. A warning....chicken wire stops chickens....not the neighbour's dog as we found out. That's when you find out just how territorial you are. I awed that Vancouver had the nerve to do this. Two or three birds would be great for a family....up until that first -10c. Then the question is to heat lamp or not to heat lamp?
This is a great idea.

We have an Italian neighbor in Vancouver who kept voice-less chickens dating back to 20 years ago. He also grew all his tomatoes for the year's supply of pasta sauce, the ubiquitous broad bean teepees, a fig tree, and garlic. Unfortunately the city outlawed his chickens (which were no bother to anyone) but he kept on with his garden. It covered his entire yard with the exception of the boulevard swath out front of the house, but every other square inch had something edible growing. He sadly had an accident one frosty morning and fell off his roof and sustained a head injury and has never quite been the same old Dominic. But the garden grows - bring on the chickens, Dominic!

I am contemplating a backyard chicken coop. The reason would be my demand for and the increasing general demand for pasture-raised chicken and eggs. I hear on the Farming Today program in the UK that demand is outstripping supply in this country. This means that chickens are raised in barns, with access to the outdoors, but they often take little advantage of the rainy field available to them because food is plentiful in the warm dry shelter. Thus (1) land is being devoted to chickens which could better be devoted to growing grains and vegetables; and (2) "pasture raised" may not live up to the name.
Lawn raised will do for me. A Dutch friend lets his chickens of their large coop a couple of hours before dark. They charge all over the lawn eating grass and bugs, never getting as far as the vegetable garden where they would wreak havoc. They put themselves to bed when the sun goes down.

Yes absolutely! I have been all over the world for example in China I often hear about people saying they respect farmers but in theory only. If you ask them what do they thing if their children became farmers they protest - no way. Most people - anywhere would never think of getting their hands "dirty" farming and would prefer the "easy" "office" over "hard" "dirty" manual labor. I think it is very sad to hear children growing up today thinking that rice is polished and from a bag, vegetables/fruit washed and bagged, meat comes from the supermarket all wrapped up in plastic, meat and fish with the head, tail chopped off and guts stripped and washed de-boned and de-skinned. This is not food. When I hear Canadians/Americans in China or Japan they get sick when they see the head on a fish. Fortunately, the world is not like the typical Canadian/American and can eat fish with the head on etc. I believe for my children's own learning needs I will definately keep chickens/ducks anything small. After all my parents as well as my wife's parents (from China)had chickens, rabbits, goats and a large garden so we knew where things came from. My wife often asks me why do Japanese and Canadians don't like chicken de-boned and de-skinned? Well how can I answer this question except say I don't know. I really enjoy hearing and seeing animals in the city - we are animals too we have to learn to co-exist with our food, with nature. Anyone who says animals are noisy, then what about automobiles - they stink, pollute and are noisier than a few chickens. Grow locally eat locally. Know where your food comes from.

I've often thought that having some chickens in a coop would be a great thing. We love to eat eggs and to know what feed the chickens are getting, etc., would be an asset. As far as killng them, I don't at the moment have the stomach to however what I would likely do is pay a local farmer to kill and clean them for me. That way they make some money, we get our chickens. The killing of livestock by neighbouring farmers is not an uncommon practice at all.

Yes, of course I would have laying hens in my backyard. I recently rented out my house in town and rented a farm house outside of town in order to raise laying hens without "ruffleing any feathers" among my town neighbors.
As to the rodent/predator argument, in town my cats would leave dead rats in the yard, after 5 months in the rural area, no dead rats in the yard. This is with open grain storage in the barn.

Yes, I would like to have hens. I lived on a hobby farm near Nelson BC, where we had meat birds. Our neighbour had hens and roosters. The roosters were loud. The hens made sweet little noises, accept when laying then they made loud bock bock bocks. I think that as long as it doesnt bother the neighbours then it should be allowed. It is a good idea if the neighbours are tollerant of the odd little farmy noise, and the chicken owners keep the manure cleaned out of the pens and composted properly (layered with carbon material) so that the smell would be minimal. I for one would love to have my own eggs to eat.

There will be complaints of sanitation, animal welfare, disease transmission such as avian flu. Who will monitor these backyard coops? Most properties in Toronto and too small to have a coop that won't affect neighbours with noise, odour, and sanitation. Its difficult with all the barking dogs and their waste that the owners don't clean up as often as they should...now add chicken poop and cockadoodledooing!
Look at all the complaints about people keeping and feeding pigeons! Keep chickens on the farm!

very good idea,fresh eggs,yummyyyy

It will really get interesting when the next bird-flue outbreak comes along.

AAAaaaAAaaaChoooooCluck

I do support the idea of people keeping backyard chicken coops, but I think that the Vancouver needs to put in some rules to protect both the animals and neighbours from unprepared and/or irresponsible would-be farmers.
First off, there should be a maximum number of chickens allowed. Let's be honest, how many chickens can even a family need?
I would like to see a simple required permit for setting up a chicken coop. If I have to get a permit to park on my street, then I don't see why it should be a big deal for someone to pay a $30 fee to get a permit for a chicken coop.
Also, there would need to be some simple and clear rules about issues like noise and smell. Chicken manure smells bad and a improperly kept chicken coop smells worse. I don't want to have to deal with the smell of a pile of chicken manure wafting over from a neighbours yard in the middle of summer.
Lastly, there should be some measures put in to push those that neglect or abandon their chickens.
If the city can enact some simple & clear by-laws to help make this easy for everyone to deal with, there won't be a problem.

Great idea,,fresh eggs and the occasional fresh chicken and what a better way to wake up in the morning than to the sound of a rooster.

Sure, why not? Anything that makes people more self sufficient is for the better.

The gasoline-powered lifestyle we have grown used to has a half-life...

I would personally love to install a chicken coup on my 2000 square foot Toronto backyard. There are folk living in my neighbourhood (about 10-15km from City Hall) that keep them in their homes. However just buying a fancy chicken dome (which is advertised as being predator-proof) I'm aware that there are some other issues... Namely chicken health. What do you do if your chickens are sick? Would you even know? Would my dog/cat vet know how and when to vaccinate the birds? I would hate to spend the money on the gear only to end up with a bunch of dead birds in my yard.

I think having backyard chickens are a great idea! Victoria has allowed backyard chickens, with several rules albeit, for years now. It's been a very successful program. The chickens keep the yard clean, their droppings can be used as fertilizer and composted, and their eggs are always appreciated. They also connect a neighbourhood. Children are fascinated by them. The chickens can be used as an education tool, connecting kids with their food and the agricultural significance of them. Opponents shouldn't knock it until they've tried it.

While I don't disagree with the idea in principle (some folks feel it might put them more "in touch" with nature; some folks might do it to eat organic meat), I wonder how many city folks would be willing to properly educate themselves about the proper care the animals should receive. It seems that many dog and cat owners don't even bother to educate themselves about the true responsibility of keeping animals; I can only imagine what might happen if backyard coops are allowed. (I would love to have one, but I'm not up for that responsibility...I think it's better left to the pros - the smaller-scale farmers).

I would love to have a few chickens in my backyard - in fact, this summer I am moving to the country to do just that! If we could have a few chickens (and a larger size yard), we might stay in the city.

I think that the idea of eating fresh eggs and meat coming from chickens that were fed from your own hand, not full of chemicals and hormones, that you know for a fact lived a happy, healthy life is a wonderful thing!

The 100 km diet is a great idea - I grow most of my own food in the summer, and buy the rest from local producers whenever I can. The coffee and orange juice have me stymied though - can't grow that locally! And I can't seem to give those up.

If I had a backyard I would definately keep a halfdozen laying hens.I am an avid gardener and you can't beat fresh day old eggs.Along with a chicken permit a short course would probably be a possible suggestion to allay neighbour concerns and"chicken abuse"

There is absolutely no reason why 4-6 little heirloom hens in an aesthetically-pleasing, well-kept run should be offensive in any way. Roosters in town are obviously a no-no and there's no need to have a large flock. Look after your birds and keep the run clean clean clean and you should have healthy, happy little ladies and fresh eggs to boot. I do agree that neighbours with pets that are noisy, smelly, and kept in unsightly and/or unhealthful living conditions are very undesireable and should be controlled through enforced bylaws. I'd rather have the neighbour with chickens as per my comments above than those with a large barking dog kept in a stinky run all day.

Definitely! We've lost touch with what life -and the art of staying alive- really is in these fast-food, everything processed, packaged times that we live in. Live off the earth, don't take more than you need, and respect the labor involved in producing the life we take for granted. I don't think there is anything wrong in people wanting to work a little for their food. If you have enough room in your backyard (and size of the backyard should be the only debate), then why not?

Yes. I would love to have a chicken coup within municipal boundaries. Eating organically, locally, and the ethical treatment of animals are all motivating factors. Food sovereignty may become a worldwide issue in the next few decades and this could be a good step to ensure ours for the future. I like to know how my food was raised, treated and killed; if I can do all this myself I will be sure the life and death of the animal are up to my standards.

Most definitely...I would love to have a few laying hens. Unfortunately I live in London and it will never happen here. God forbid if we had a few hens in the backyard "scratching a living" and giving us in return organic fresh eggs and chicken manure. As for neighbours who complain about the noise of a few chickens....I would much rather listen to the cackling of a few happy hens than the screetching of the neightbours kids morning, noon and night.

I though about doing it myself, but the municipal gov. is will not allow it. Too bad, I remember when I was young, we use to go and get the eggs each morning in the backyard. Now I have to buy those eggs at the store, but if you know what it is to pick up fresh eggs, you know that there's nothing really fresh at your local store! To me it seems like a yok in water!! yark!!!!

My brother keeps 3 hens in his back yard, and I have seriously considered it, having been brought up on a farm myself. I believe, within reason, that we should be able to keep chickens in our back yards. People might then have a more visceral connection to their food. Hens are quiet, (except when laying and egg!) and eat all the compostable table scraps reducing your feed cost and consuming a waste that has to be hauled off.

I am planning to have some hens this summer. A friend of mine has been raising them in Ontario for two years now. Five minutes a day, some feed and he has more fresh eggs then he knows what to do with. he has eight. I plan to have four or five. Looking forward to it as I live in zoned "rural" area and my nearest neighbour can not see my property through the forest. Perfect for eggs!

I am in full support of a change to the bylaws in support of backyard chickens. Bylaws need to reflect the actual risks and problems associated with keeping animals. These risks and benefits need to be assessed against documented issues that relate to current realities. For example, most current bylaws that relate to urban livestock are decades if not centuries out of date.
I have three chickens in my back yard as we speak. They are easy to care for, eat my garden pests, provide hours of entertainment for family, neighbors and myself and provide us with all the eggs we need for a family of 4. My chickens cope with winter very well but are anxious for spring like the rest of us.

The issue isn't about chickens but about responsibility of the owners. Chickens like any other animal require maintenance. They can be a benefit but anowner must care for them. Feeding, watering, sheltering, keeping the pens clean and above all protecting them from the many predators they will attract. Mice, rats, skunks, racoons, possum all these can be a problem. This all takes committment. Which generally appears to be lacking today.

hi. I had three birds in my two acre home until the neighbour complained.
My property abuts a dairy farm, and when he tried to say it was the smell he was laughed out of town.
His friend who happened to be a bylaw officer and a beer drinking buddy was the one who said i cant have the birds. Even though the person across the street has 20 turkeys, the one down the road has 55 guinea hens so on and so on.
I found that if someone complains that is when the bylaw jumps in to mess around but until then, we happily lived with fresh eggs, and never had a problem. In fact i had more people asking for my eggs and if i had extra.
With the economy being the way it is, i would think people have enough to think about without sticking their heads over their neighbours fence, to ensure they are following the "rules"
I have found the rules are changed often by the town to accomadate them, and growing developement, not to accomodate the home owner.
thanks for letting me get this off of my chest.

I would like to see urban coops in Winnipeg. People are really getting into organic foods and Green products. Having chickens would help build onto sustainable living. There should be a limit of 3 per household and people could be register so that by-law can check on them to make sure the household is following any guidelines. I feel Canada is so far behind other countries when it comes to Going Green and living a healthier lifestyle.

I would love to have chickens in the backyard. We had about a dozen of them when I was a kid in B.C. and caring for them is no problem. My kids would have the opportunity to form a closer connection with their food source and add another simple chore to feel part of the responsibility of caring for our family.

I would love to be able to own two or three chickens in my back yard for fresh eggs and perhaps meat. Like it or not, many Cities will have to grapple with this issue in the coming years considering that more and more people are now wanting to have more say and control over their food source.

There's no way I can have chickens myself, but I strongly support backyard chickens. I hope the regulations are reasonable, predators are an issue. I live right near China Town and I've spotted raccoons and coyotes right in front of my house.

yes, chickens should be allowed in urban areas especially if their are responsible owners. Watch, one day theres going to be a cat influenza outbreak

Even if there are a lot of raccoons and coyotes around cities thats why humans invented a things called a coops or cages.

I live in Ottawa. I would love to see suburbanites allowed to have chickens in the backyard. A limit of 3 chickens and no roosters seems to have worked in other cities that have created bylaws to address owning chickens. We have registering of our dogs and cats - why not have owners register the number of chickens they plan on maintaining for a minimal fee ($10 per year?). This would ensure that the City is aware of who has chickens and protect the chickens in the event of a surprise inspection. Fresh eggs would be wonderful. Personally, my chickens would be more like pets and never eaten but I support others who would opt to eat their chickens so long as it is done in a humane way. Be proactive City of Ottawa!

One thing people have to know - you cannot kill the birds yourself - you must take them to a poultry facility to have this done, or perhaps a butcher shop. Regardless, this has to be regulated.

All the city folk think keeping Chickens is fun etc. Ever stop to think why most farmers do NOT keep them.I can buy a dozen eggs for

re: backyard chickens,
The animal shelters would be overwhelmed with abandoned/neglected chickens in no time, when people either get fed up caring for them or are just not caring for them properly.
What about the potential odour in the heat?
What happens when the weather is not suitable for them to be outdoors in cages or when they are attacked by predators?
I am afraid that this will just result in animal cruelty.

Also does "backyard chickens" include roosters as well as hens?
Someone had a rooster in the neighbourhood a couple of years ago, I live in a high rise building in the east end of Toronto and heard cockadoodledoo every crack of dawn and every evening!
I'm an animal person and I did not mind it but that's just me, and it was only one rooster!
Imagine crowing roosters all around, no one will ever complain about dogs barking!
Wait till the novelty wears off!

You PUT your CHICKEN MANURE in your GARDEN!!! For Godsake - what is wrong with people?? If someone is "green" enough to want to keep a couple of chickens, they're more than likely already going to have a GARDEN! And they probably have a lawn - and chickens are great for scratching around and fertilizing a lawn. They eat bugs, they leave very rich manure.

Their wings have to be clipped I believe, to keep them earthbound. They do not crap as much or as disgustingly as dogs do, or cats. They're not as messy as seagulls.

No wonder Canada can't go green - people are too stuck in the 50s, and they think we left farms behind because farm animals are disgusting and it's better in the city.

You'll improve the nutrition of hundreds of kids. !! Healthy chickens don't carry disease, any more than healthy cats and dogs. However, dog crap carries parasites, nasty parasites. Unkown to chickens. !! Hookworm, roundworm, pinworm, just for example. Cats litter can cause pregnant women to abort, if the cats have been eating anything raw.

We ALREADY LIVE WITH ANIMALS. Pythons, dangerous dogs, all kinds of bloody birds in cages, some of which are bigger than chickens and crap more, and crap in the HOUSE. People have exotic cats - half-leopard. Rabbits abound, so do guinea pigs. So do FERRETS, hamsters, chinchillas, you name a rodent, and it's in someone's house.

This is just another type of animal, people. Get a grip. It could improve nutrition for hundreds of kids.

I think it is a great idea to allow a few chickens in the backyards of residential areas. Possibly regulate the number of chickens allowed based on the size of the open land space or space required by pen. I know i'd like to have a couple chickens in the backyard for eggs and a dinner close to winter.

Hello,
I am quite interested in keeping couple of hens in my backyard, however, I am unsure whether it is legal--I know that in Toronto it's illegal to keep hens in the backyard but not in Mississauga. Can someone please tell me whether this is legal (with the relevant link).
Sincere thanks
John

PHI

Toronto

There will be complaints of sanitation, animal welfare, disease transmission such as avian flu. Who will monitor these backyard coops? Most properties in Toronto and too small to have a coop that won't affect neighbours with noise, odour, and sanitation. Its difficult with all the barking dogs and their waste that the owners don't clean up as often as they should...now add chicken poop and cockadoodledooing!
Look at all the complaints about people keeping and feeding pigeons! Keep chickens on the farm!

Complainers like this are the reason nothing progresive or productive ever happens in our country. If we are to improve, environmentaly or socialy we need to be able to except things that are outside of our "normal bubble." I personally would rather have the noise and smell of a few chickens then that of constant sirens, horns and traffic. I see this torontonians comments about smellquite funny considering toront is widely known as the smog capitol of canada....... oh ya how that garbage stike working out for you?

In 2005,Natural Home and Garden reprinted an article( permission to repint from Ode Magazine)regarding the recycling abilities of chickens." Chickens are omnivores who love left overs. In one month,a chicken can devour about 9 lbs of kitchen biodegradable garbage....in return it will lay eggs, thedroppings can become fertilizer. The municipality of Diest, in Flanders gave 2000 households 3 chickens each. Officials in Diest see the chickens as an economical solution to the costly problem of recycling biodegradable trash, which costs the town about $600,000 annually.
Here in Merritt we are starting a pilot project..certain sized lots could apply for a one year experiment..allowing 6 chickens only...no roosters. It's a step forward in recycling.

My chickens survived two winters outdoors. the roast was twice as good

Ken: the poop is not that smelly, and it makes *fantastic* fertilizer for a garden. Anyone keeping chickens probably also grows at least a few vegetables.