ON A WING AND A PRAYER THE URBAN -KEEPING MOVEMENT TAKES FLIGHT

By Ron Berezan

Henriette (not her real name) greets me enthusiastically at the door of her large home in an affluent southwest Edmonton neighbourhood. “Come on in, the ‘girls’ are in the garage,” she explains.

t is mid-winter and Henriette has decided to the beautiful, fresh eggs delivered to neighbours offer her two Plymouth Rock hens refuge from from time to time helps,” she laughs. Ithe cold in the attached double garage. “My hus- Henriette and her family are part of chicken keep- band built the coop for me this past spring. As soon ers in across the country. The past couple of as the weather warms again, years have seen urban we’ll return it to the backyard.” (and their owners) crack the Although Henriette grew up mainstream media headlines in on a farm, keeping chickens is a stories ranging from the unani- new venture for her and her mous decision of family. “This is just the next Council to rescind their step for us. I have been buying anti-chicken bylaws, to the organic eggs from the farmers’ much publicized struggle of market for years, and, after re- Halifax resident Louise searching on the internet, I de- Hanavan to retain the right to cided, why not?” So her family, keep a small flock of hens in her including her husband, two sons backyard. Although Ms. (8 and 10 years old) and three Hanavan is thus far unsuccess- dogs, soon expanded to include ful in her battle with Halifax three hens. “In addition to City Council, her story has gen- Belle and Check (so named by erated surprising interest and the boys), we also had Brownie.” debate across the country and Unfortunately, Brownie came has put the discussion of poul- out on the losing side of a tan- try in the city back on the ta- gle with a neighbourhood dog ble. The “chicken a couple months after her ar- underground” is now thriving rival. ‘Henriette’ holding Check. in cities such as Calgary, Win- Henriette had a vague nipeg, Toronto and beyond awareness that keeping chickens (see box on page 13). in her backyard was not “exactly legal” in Edmon- Indeed, it has only been in the last fifty years or ton. “I figured we should all have the right to grow so that most municipalities in Canada have legislated our own food if we are not harming anyone in the chickens and other small livestock out of the urban process. There is no good reason why we should not environment. The vacant, but still standing, coop in be able to do this.” Fortunately for Henriette, her the backyard of my grandparents’ north Edmonton four immediate neighbours agree. So far, the re- home is testimony to a time when having a few lay- sponse has been overwhelmingly positive. “Of course, ing hens in your yard was no more exotic than grow-

12 – Spring 2010 The Canadian Organic Grower www.cog.ca verting them from the landfill and “I figured we should all have the right to grow potentially cycling that organic our own food if we are not harming anyone matter back into the soil through in the process. There is no good reason why composting. Similarly, chickens can be part of an integrated pest we should not be able to do this.” management strategy, helping to control populations of slugs and ing some of your own vegetables. advocates argue that not only does other garden pests. Urban hens For most city dwellers around the keeping chickens in the city allow typically enjoy far more space and world, this is indeed still the case. people (especially children) to a much healthier living environ- Even North American cities, such learn more about where their food ment than their poorer cousins in as Victoria, Brampton, Seattle, comes from, it reduces carbon intensive poultry operations. And, Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, New emissions by producing food on as Henriette gleefully claims, York and countless others, have site. Keeping chickens is a great “Chickens are fun! They all have welcomed chickens as part of the waste reduction strategy as they personalities and they take way urban landscape for decades. can consume significant amounts less work than the average cat or While occasional complaints or of household and yard wastes, di- dog.” conflicts between chicken owners and their neighbours do occur in these cities, these incidents are re- The urban chicken revolution: five key portedly far fewer than those gen- erated by dogs and cats. steps for bringing chickens to the city As the 100-mile diet and other 1. Research – Go on-line to find the bylaw that would potentially pro- expressions of the local food hibit chickens from your municipality. You may be surprised to dis- movement weave their way into cover that one does not exist or that certain geographical the households of more and more areas are exempt from the bylaw. Get help from a lawyer or an urban Canadians, it is no surprise that planner to understand your bylaws if you need it. fresh urban eggs are increasingly 2. Organize – Find other would-be chicken lovers in your community on the menu. This has left munici- and get together. You will be far more effective as a group than as an pal governments scrambling to individual. Connect through social media, food security groups, Slow respond by either enforcing out- Food organizations, or other local food initiatives. Include some peo- dated post-war land use policies ple with first-hand chicken experience in your group. that attempted to create a firm di- 3. Build your case – Find out if others have tried to change the bylaw vision between the city and the before and what the barriers have been. Anticipate what objections farm, or by revising these ordi- city administration or council may have and be prepared to address nances to reflect the growing ap- them. Gather case studies and bylaws from other cities that allow petite for urban . Many chickens. Come up with a proposal that you think would work well for chicken keepers, like Henriette, your particular municipality. choose not to brood over the ques- 4. Find allies – Rather than assuming an adversarial position, seek tion of legality and quietly main- out potential allies on council and administration and ask for their sup- tain their small urban flocks port. Invite them to be seen as innovative, forward- thinking and pro- beneath the municipal radar. Oth- gressive. Ask for their advice in how you should steer your request ers, like Calgary’s CLUCK through city channels. (Calgary Liberated Urban Chicken 5. Be tenacious – Be prepared for the fact that you are going to meet Klub) and Edmonton’s River City active resistance and inertia. Make it clear that you are in this for the Chickens are organizing more pub- long haul and that your group will continue to work through whatever licly for bylaw changes, hoping to channels are available. Most changes of this nature happen over a open the coop door to many more period of a couple of years, not days or weeks. Remember you have would-be chicken keepers. history and the future on your side! For their part, urban chicken

www.cog.ca Our Nature is Organic Spring 2010 – 13 So why all the flap over a few city chickens? The usual justifica- tion for prohibitive urban chicken bylaws can be grouped into three categories: 1) public health concerns; 2) conflicts between neighbours; 3) concern for the humane treat- ment of the birds. Leaders of the chicken revolu- tion and solitary keepers alike would be wise to consider carefully these concerns and address them in their own practices and propos- als to city administrations. The primary public health con- cern raised around keeping poul- try in the city is the potential for contraction of avian influenza. While contraction of bird flu by small urban flocks is an extremely rare occurrence, the Government of Alberta advises backyard bird owners to take the following three simple steps to minimize risk. 1. Keep domestic fowl penned to avoid contact with wild waterfowl Backyard chickens in the Village Homes community (the source of avian flu); of Davis, California. continued on page 16 ...

Urban chicken activists on-line Groups • CLUCK (Calgary): www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=68948494632 • River City Chickens (Edmonton): http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/rivercitychickens • Chickens in Vancouver: www.chickensinvancouver.com • SBCS (Saskatoon): http://ko-kr.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&viewas=0&gid=74697580927 • Backyard Chickens in Toronto: http://torontochickens.com • Waterloo Hen Association: http://sites.google.com/site/waterloohenassociation • Halifax Chickens: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7740422940 · Information • www.backyardchickenscanada.com • www.chickenkeeping.com • www.madcitychickens.com • www.backyardpoultrymag.com • www.mypetchicken.com • poultryone.com/raisingchickens.php • www.urbanchickens.net • www.henspa.com • www.backyardchickens.com • chickenkeepingsecrets.com • urbanchickens.org

14 – Spring 2010 The Canadian Organic Grower www.cog.ca 2. Protect the hens’ water and food about noise, either assuming that the property line. This can help from contact by wild bird all chickens crow or that roosters buffer any smells or noise that do populations; will be part of backyard flocks. occur. 3. Sterilize equipment and cloth- However, very few North Ameri- Humane societies across the ing before having contact with can municipalities allow roosters country express concern that well- other poultry. and only the bravest (or most fool- meaning urbanites may embrace ish) among us would be tempted Henriette, herself a practicing a new pet trend without under- veterinarian in Edmonton, points standing what they are getting out that even if a backyard hen themselves into (remember the were to contract bird flu, the vec- Vietnamese pot-bellied pig fad?). tor of disease would essentially Indeed, the SPCA in Vancouver stop there as the absence of a opposed the change to the bylaws large population of other fowl in that city, fearing that they nearby would give the virus no- would be ill equipped to deal with where else to live. an onslaught of abandoned hens As with all other domestic ani- at their doorstep. mals, care must be taken to main- Would-be chicken owners need tain a clean and sanitary living to educate themselves before space for hens. Regular cleaning erecting the backyard henhouse; of coops and proper disposal or chicken advocacy groups can play composting of waste will reduce a major role in facilitating this. the possibility of transmission of Some groups in American cities any pathogenic organisms. There Check and Belle consider each offer backyard poultry work- are many excellent coop designs other. shops, chicken networking for small urban flocks that make groups, volunteer mentors and cleaning as easy as removing a coop tours. Those just getting sliding tray beneath the roost. Un- to ruffle those feathers. Neverthe- started would be advised to follow fortunately, a few irresponsible less, it is important to educate Henriette’s lead and begin with a chicken owners can sour the air for both the public and policy makers small flock of a hardy, dual-pur- the majority by not properly clean- as to the fact that the average hen pose (for meat and eggs) breed. ing their coops and alienating un- will be far quieter than the aver- While dual-purpose birds may lay happy neighbours. age dog. Furthermore, some city fewer eggs (about two every three In addition to smells, neigh- ordinances call for coops to be lo- days per bird) than White Leghorn bours frequently have concerns cated a minimum distance from hens, they generally live longer,

Your Organic Feed and Farm Supplies

Field Crop Marketing: √ Forward contracts for food and feed crops. √ Soybeans, buckwheat, cereals, corn, peas.

Organic Farm & GardenSupplies: √ mixed feed for all your farm livestock. √ livestock supplements and health products.

Berwick Ontario K0C 1G0 √ soil amendments; seed; pest control products. Toll Free: 1-877-984-0480 A Dealer near you in Ont, Qué & the Maritimes. www.homesteadorganics.ca

16 – Spring 2010 The Canadian Organic Grower www.cog.ca are easier to handle and are more Press has suggested that “… when While Hummers still outnum- resistant to disease. Proper feed, up against a ‘right to grow food’ ber hens in her Edmonton neigh- including calcium supplements, challenge, it is doubtful jurisdic- bourhood, pioneers like Henriette protein and grit, needs to be se- tions would be able to defend their and hundreds of other urban cured before bringing home that bylaws on the basis of nuisance or chicken keepers across the coun- irresistible little hen. Most cities noise.” Should this argument try are making a strong statement still have farm supply stores which prove to be successful, there may about food security and a sustain- will stock these items, although or- be no stopping chickens from com- able future, with or without local ganic feed can be harder to find ing home to roost in urban neigh- authorities on board. Henriette and may need to ordered from far- bourhoods from coast to coast. scoops the fresh egg out of the ther afield. Check suddenly begins to cluck coop and proudly presents it to As plots to liberate chicken and flap her wings. “Oh!,” me. “Here,” she says, “take it home keeping in urban areas continue Henriette exclaims, “We’re get- and see for yourself how great to hatch across the country, there ting ready to lay.” This is an they taste.” And I do. is a new ray of hope on the hori- exciting event after a period of zon. In April of this year, a Calgary relative winter dormancy. Ron Berezan is the co-founder of woman will go to court to fight a Henriette beams about the closer Edmonton’s River City Chickens ticket for illegally keeping hens in connection she and her family group. He operates The Urban her yard. She will base her argu- have made with the source of their Farmer, an organic gardening, edible ment on Article 25 of the Univer- food. “This is important for eve- landscaping and permaculture sal Declaration of Human Rights rybody, but especially for those of design business in Edmonton. which protects the right to us who live in the city,” she reflects. www.theurbanfarmer.ca adequate food for all people. “Just like growing our own vegeta- Commenting on a similar case in bles, having this connection to Photo credits: Ron Berezan Manitoba, the Winnipeg Free animals is equally valuable.”

Farmers Wholesalers Retailers SAVE 30% OFF ADMINISTRATION Cold Process Fish Hydrolysate TIME & COSTS “Our fish is fresh — not weeks old — before processed!”

Simply the best product at the best price

Free delivery within a 500 mile radius of our plant on 5000 gallon tanker loads

Higher in oil than most others

Higher in calcium than most others OMRI listed AND INCREASE YOUR SALES 815-259-4300 Helping you deliver goods in your community! P.O. Box 399 Thomson IL 61285 1-866-221-4889 www.schaferfish.com www.homedeliverymanagement.com www.cog.ca Our Nature is Organic Spring 2010 – 17