A Saskatchewan village says it will enforce its bylaw banning people from keeping chickens on their property.

The Welwyn village council made that decision on Tuesday morning.

And that's disappointing for Andre Mailloux, a resident of the village of 140 who has been raising chickens for the past five years.

Mailloux rejects the argument that chickens attract vermin, saying his pens are built to keep other animals out.

"There's actually a fox that's had her den half a mile from where my chickens are," he said. "She comes and checks that once in a while, but she knows she can't get them. And she just gives up."

There was no comment on the matter from council members or the village clerk. However, they have passed the matter on to their lawyers.

Meanwhile, Mailloux said he can't understand council's reasoning. Everything around him, from grain trucks to birdfeeders, are more likely to attract rodents than his chickens, he said.

Mailloux said he plans to fight the bylaw, possibly through a petition.

In Regina, meanwhile, city council took a similar stance Monday night, passing a new animal control bylaw that bans the keeping of livestock within city limits. The city has had several requests to raise chickens in recent years, city staff said.

Welwyn is close to the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border, about 235 kilometres east of Regina.