As Calgarians become more aware of the source of their food and the distance it must travel to arrive on their plates, and begin to understand the impact that travel time has on our dwindling natural resources (it has been calculated that if every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, they would reduce their country’s oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil per week), urban gardening has become the new Good Thing. (If the 100-mile diet is good, the 100-foot diet is better, right?) As it turns out, there are plenty of vegetables that grow very well in Calgary, even if the only dirt available is in planters on the patio.
Any step we can take toward sustainability, particularly during this time of worldwide food crisis and rising oil and food costs, is a good idea. A few forward-thinking Calgarians are making the argument that chickens — hens, that is, not roosters — should be allowed to be kept as pets in order to further enable their owners to become more self-sufficient. At farmers’ markets around town, free-range eggs are always among the first to sell out. Two to three hens could keep an average-sized family in fresh, organic, free-run eggs year-round while helping dispose of waste and contributing natural weed and pest control — there is no better way to keep slugs and insects out of backyards and gardens. However, according to a Calgary bylaw, chickens are not allowed within city limits, as they are considered livestock:
Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw #23M2006
LIVESTOCK
27. No person shall keep Livestock in any area of the City except where the keeping of Livestock is allowed under The City of Calgary Land Use Bylaw
(n) “Livestock” means:
(v) Animals of the avian species including chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, or pheasants, and
(vi) all other Animals that are kept for agricultural purposes, but does not include cats, dogs, or other domesticated household pets
The idea of keeping chickens in the backyard is not totally out there — hens are legal in Victoria, B.C., as well as in many U.S. cities including Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and New York. In Victoria they may be kept as pets as well as for egg production, although the eggs may not be sold. The Niagara Falls bylaw is more specific: a maximum of 10 chickens (coops must be in the backyard), 7.6 metres from the rear property line and 4.6 metres from the side-lot line. Coops must allow for proper ventilation and for movement of chickens in keeping with good animal husbandry practices. Roosters are not allowed in either city.
A simple change in the wording of the bylaw from “chickens” to “roosters” would allow quiet, egg-producing hens while keeping roosters from waking us up too early in the morning. There is a misconception that chickens are noisy, when in fact it’s roosters that can be noisy — hens are quiet (unlike many dogs).
Disease is a common concern when the subject of urban chickens arises — primarily avian flu. Supporters of the urban chicken concept maintain that this is not a significant risk when dealing with a few chickens in a backyard, as opposed to a full-fledged chicken farm — certainly it has not been an issue for other large cities that allow domestic hens. All animals carry with them an inherent risk of disease, whether it’s rabies, ringworm or avian flu. As always, any pet-owning family is expected to take responsibility for the health of their animals.
Calgary teachers are allowed to keep chicks in their classrooms as pets, but must return them when they reach adolescence and begin to turn from chicks into chickens; from domesticated animals to livestock. The potential for learning is clear. Beyond that, it seems the environmental, financial and health benefits should outweigh any potential risks to the community. Chicken coops are smaller than many dog runs, and feed consists of vegetarian scraps and seed — similar to what you’d find in most bird feeders, it isn’t anything new that might attract pests.
It’s an interesting concept — surely a minor change to the bylaw would come at no financial cost to the city, and could be a great stride toward a strong and sustainable local food community.
For more information, visit www.calgarychickens.blogspot.com.
Julie Van Rosendaal is a food journalist and cookbook author, food and nutrition columnist for the Calgary Eyeopener on CBC Radio and co-host (with Ned Bell) of It's Just Food on Access and Canadian Learning Television.
