I became an activist yesterday.
I didn't mean to.
I certainly didn't plan it.
But nonetheless it happened. And yesterday everyone across the city woke up to this. Me and my chicken on the front page of the paper in full colour. Above the fold. Clearly a slow news day. Had there been a sale on at the local Giant Tiger or a cat stuck in a tree I'm sure my story would have been relegated to somewhere in the depths of the paper.
As some of you know, I have chickens. As some of you know, whether this is legal or not in my municipality is questionable. When I first got my 4 chickens I let all my neighbours know and got a feel for whether they were O.K. with it or not. No one seemed to care and in fact as far as I could tell they were kind of excited about it. So I kept the chickens and started building a coop.
I have to admit, even I had reservations about keeping chickens. I really had no idea what to expect so I had the same concerns the people on city council probably have. And I had these concerns because I was both misinformed and uneducated on the matter. As the people on city council probably are. Who can blame them? They can't know everything about everything, right?
The people who argue against having backyard chickens cite disease, noise, smell and general hell breaking loose if people are lawfully allowed to own chickens. I would like to take this opportunity to address these points for the benefit of both city council and those who wonder about owning chickens themselves.
Table of Contents
1. Disease.
There are those who believe that backyard chickens are disease riddled incubators for Avian flu among other things. In truth, (as far as I have researched) there has never been any cases of Avian flu among North American backyard chickens. The Avian Flu rarely occurs, and when it does it shows up in either third world countries or most commonly chicken plants. Chickens get Avian flu from coming into contact with other chickens or the feces of chickens with Avian flu. In the case of third world countries, many people who own chickens feed their chickens scraps of raw chicken that are infected with the disease. These chickens are then allowed to roam around the village infecting other chickens. Since most backyard chicken farmers I know neither feed their chickens raw, disease filled chicken meat, nor take them out for play dates with other chickens ... I do not think the Avian flu is a threat to our community. In fact, large groups of chickens together in poor conditions harbour the best breeding ground for Avian Flu. So backyard chickens are actually the solution, not the problem.
Salmonella is another concern. Very, very few backyard chickens carry salmonella. It is extremely rare. Even rarer is contracting salmonella from your chickens. If you rub your hands in their poo and then put your fingers in your mouth before washing them there is a chance you'll get salmonella. If you eat unwashed fruits or vegetables, improperly prepared meat, own any kind of bird or reptile or eat a raw egg in any dressing, dessert or food ... there is also a chance you'll get salmonella. In fact, there is a much greater chance you'll get salmonella from any of these things. If you're still concerned, you could simply demand all backyard chickens be vaccinated for salmonella. Yup. There is such a thing and yup, it's possible.
2. Noise.
I would like to say chickens are silent and most have had their voice boxes removed at birth, but that isn't the case. They do make noise. About the same noise as a few pigeons. They cluck and make cooing sounds for a few minutes a day. It's inaudible unless you're right beside the chickens. Chickens have also been known to release a loud BUCKOCK when they've finished laying an egg. They're kindda proud. If you can hear the sound of it over the trucks, Harley Davidsons, leaf blowers and barking dogs in my neighbourhood I'll give you a free half dozen eggs. Roosters on the other hand, are loud. They really do cock-a-doodle-do at dawn. And they continue it all day long. I know this because one of the chickens I got turned out to be a Rooster. After his first sunrise cock-a-doodle-do I got on Kijiji, put up an ad and had given him away to a nice farm in the country within 2 hours. I believe it is best to ban Roosters in an urban setting.
3. Smell.
Yeah my chickens smell. They smell like chickens. They don't smell like a poultry farm because I only have 4 of them. Basically they smell like a dirt road mixed with pine shavings. Clearly not as appealing as dog crap on a damp day, but nice nonetheless. If I were to own 20 or 30 chickens I'm sure there would be smell associated with them. So I absolutely support a limit on the number of chickens allowed in an urban setting. Many municipalities cite 6 as an acceptable number. I would have to agree with this number as an appropriate number for an urban setting.
Finally I'd like to address a few points of concern that were made in my local paper. One fellow was genuinely concerned that if backyard chickens were allowed, even in a limited number, all hell would break loose. I mean, what if every person in a town got 4 chickens. What then?? There would be mayhem! Neighbourhoods would stink! The disease! The noise!! To that I say, um ... what if every person owned 4 dogs?
Cats, dogs, pigeons, and pigs. They're all allowed in the city of Hamilton, in unlimited numbers no less. Just not chickens. Not even one. New York, Vancouver and London are just 3 of the cities that allow backyard chickens. These are not hick towns, filled with people dropping from disease and tumbleweeds blowing down their streets. They are progressive, world class, influential cities.
These cities have done what make sense. What I propose should be done. Allow residents to own backyard chickens in a limited number. I love my chickens. My neighbours love my chickens. The only people who don't love my chickens are the people who know nothing about my chickens.
I became an activist yesterday.
I didn't mean to.
I certainly didn't plan it.
But nonetheless it happened.
Sources:
Excellent presentation for council in Springfield, Missouri where backyard chickens have proven to be a success.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:y6ooYeQTBdsJ:poultrykeeper.com/chickens/health/the-chicken-vet-talks-about-salmonella-in-backyard-chickens.html+how+many+chickens+carry+salmonella%3F&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca&client=safari
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/15/12/pdfs/09-0643.pdf
Footnote:
Susie Heller
I support you right to grow food. Chickens are fun to raise and supply great yokes. Here in Washington State many cities allow back yard poultry. You go girl as one Chick to another.
Tess
It took one female college student to take on Bank of America's ridiculous debit card charge. I suspect you are the proper champion for urban chickens everywhere. Wish I could attend.
Karen
Tess - I think the "Occupy" protesters could take a few cues from her. She had an issue, she protested, she did something about it. She didn't sit in a park refusing to speak to the media about what her cause even was. I still don't know what those protesters are protesting! Thank you for your support. :) ~ karen
Nancy
Oh No Karen..I was so afraid that this would happen..I tried looking the article up online but I'm not having much luck for some reason..good luck in your battle and please keep us informed..I think we have all enjoyed hearing you chicken adventures..Hugs for you and the girls!!!
Karen
Hi Nancy - Don't you worry about me. And if you click on "woke up to this" on my blog post it takes you right to the article. ~ karen
Steph
First, let me say I'm totally with you on this. I fully support a controlled approach to urban hen raising. Total support here. Can you feel the but?
Maybe I'm still not used to your brand of sarcasm and humor, but did you really not see this coming at all? I mean, you have a fairly successful blog, and you made no bones about your chicken situation. To me, the only variable here was time, and it seems that your time is now. You became an activist when you accepted the baby chickens on Easter morning.
Good luck!
Karen
Steph - Maybe you misunderstood. I wasn't "outed". I wasn't "found out" and complained about. I was asked to do a story for the newspaper and agreed to it. I've always had a plan for if the situation ever arose that I'd need to get rid of my chickens. I would send them to a friend's farm. And when I got the chicks I made damn sure that all of my neighbours were on board. The only reason for a bylaw officer to come knocking on your door is if someone around you complains about something. I wasn't going to get any complaints and I knew that. I've outed myself, not the other way around in order to shed light on the situation. ~ karen
Steph
Gotcha. In that case even better. Good for you for standing up and being the change you want to see.
Gale
In my neighborhood, I walk by this cute little house and never noticed their 4 chickens until one happened to move quickly and squawked. No smell at all and the dogs lunging at fences barking from other yards were far more annoying.
Robyn
You Go Girl!
LoriD
Oh, I love it! I live in your area and will happily support your cause. I too am fighting city hall right now (my issue has to do with recycling bins). I'm an excellent letter-writer.
Ruth
very well put and if I lived there I would sign the petition to keep chickens. Good luck and may sanity prevail!
Glenda
You send me an email address and I'll speak up for you. My neighbors have chickens and I love to hear their clucking in the morning when I'm working in my garden. I don't know if my city allows chickens or not, but really if people are allowed to have 4 dogs in their yards with the resultant stink, you should at least be allowed to have your four or 5 chickies!
Lynn
Oh good grief. What the bleep is wrong with people? Have they SEEN Cheese Whiz's beautiful blue eggs? Clearly not. What does the Fella say about this? More importantly what can we (your readers) do to help? Chicks unite.
Erin
You are right that misinformation and lack of education are at the heart of this type of ban. I grew up raising chickens. We lived in a somewhat rural area, so we didn't have the by-law concerns. At our peak I think we had a flock of about 350 - 400 birds. Even with that many I don't ever remember a single problem with sounds, smells or disease. My dad was a stickler for cleanliness, I'm sure thats why. We had them all broken out between 5 pens, and never had more than one rooster per pen. Good luck with keeping your chickens. They truly are a joy.
Katie @ Wildwood Creek
I can think of no one that will be a better advocate for the backyard chicken! I love the tale (tail?) of your chickens. Thanks for sharing your knowledge of backyard chickens and informing us all.
Carol S
Well said, Karen. Can I get an amen or a hearty BUCKOCK?! =)
LARPkitten
*sings the Robot Chicken song* BUCKOCK! ...bawk.
Here's hoping you can keep your chickens, Karen!
Julie shinnick
BUCKOCK....
Karla
Way to go Karen. The "problems" caused by backyard chickens pale in comparison to those caused by large-scale chicken plants. Not to mention the quality of life for the chickens. Yes, I believe chickens deserve a good quality of life! Does that make me weird...?
Gloria Westerman
If the UNITED STATES Post Office allows baby chicks to be mail (out of Missouri) what does a urban community thinks they have a right to ban the growth of domestic animals (or pets)....
Maybe you should tell them that you are the leader of a cult and you need them for your religious worship....that would make their heads spin.....LOL
Susan
It's always the same: People who do not have all the facts are the ones doing the complaining!
Enjoy your chickens.
Jules
WELL SAID Karen! You go girl...! Give em hell!
amy
They allow pigs in unlimited numbers but not chickens in limited numbers? That seems crazy to me, but I might be biased because pigs give me nightmares. But anyway, I hope everything works out for you, good luck!
Brittany
We can have them in Baltimore (and in fact I do!) but only up to 4, no roosters, and you have to be licensed. We even offer free disease testing.
Of course, we might not fall into the same thriving metropolis is category that you put the other cities into =D
Sharmila
Way to go Karen too bad I am not in your neighborhood. You have done a great job addressing all the aspects of the issue. I totally agree with you in every aspect... I hope your town will allow backyard chickens... so everyone can enjoy fresh eggs... Now about being an activist... that's good thing...Let's vote for backyard chickens! Finally I love the picture on the newspaper it looks very artsy…