Based on letters to the editor that followed the article in the St. Catharines Standard, there are as many in favour of urban farming as there are opposed to it.
This is a tough one. I understand both sides of this argument. I get that urban farming is more environmentally friendly and healthier. I also get that residents who choose not to engage in their own urban farming are not going to be appreciative of what they feel are the downfalls of urban farming - odours, cleanliness, etc.
The one thing that I'm not sure of (because I don't have the figures) is that urban farming is significantly more cost-effective than buying free-range, organic eggs. There are, of course, costs to properly housing and caring for the permitted four chickens and two rabbits, not to mention the time involved. However, until I have actual figures on what it costs to buy/build a chicken coop, feed the animals and ensure proper veterinary care, I can't accurately comment on that point.
It appears that City Clerk, Dan Carnegie, is taking or will be taking most of the necessary and important steps to ensure that residents who want to farm within the urban boundaries are able to do so while causing as little "nuisance" (for lack of a better word) as possible for those residents who choose not to farm.
Rather than simply registering with the City, though, I think that urban farmers should have to purchase a permit, and the cost of that permit should offset the cost of a by-law/animal control officer conducting inspections of facilities before the chickens/rabbits take up residence on the property and then spot inspections at the discretion of the by-law officer or when a complaint is lodged.
What this issue requires is a great deal more thought as to the pros and cons, overall costs to the city and residents and so on. There are excellent points on both sides of the argument, and I encourage you to share your thoughts by commenting on this blog post.
The link to the original St. Catharines Standard article is here; however, I've also pasted the article below, in case the link becomes broken:
Urban farmers clucking over decision
Posted By Marlene Bergsma Standard Staff
Urban farmers will soon be legal in St. Catharines, with city councillors deciding Monday night to draft new guidelines to permit people to raise rabbits and chickens in their backyards.
The limits on the number of livestock and the requirements for their care — such as separation distances from neighbours — still have to be finalized and will be the subject of a public meeting, but urban farmer Sheri Smulders Fogel is counting Monday's decision as a victory.
Smulders Fogel and fellow urban farmer Tina Dyck were at council Monday night wearing "I support Backyard Chickens" badges, and said they would be gathering support from other urban farmers and farming wannabes.
Smulders Fogel told councillors there are hundreds of North American cities that already permit people to raise food to feed their families, and there are lots of good examples for how to implement the rules.
She said having a few chickens is the only way many people can afford to eat free-range eggs. One dozen organic eggs from free-range hens costs $5, she said, making them too expensive for many families.
"Everyone should have the right to organic, free-range eggs, and not just wealthy people," she told councillors. "Sustainable, ethically raised eggs should be within the reach of every family."
She said clearing out manure every couple of days guarantees there's no smell.
She said chickens make less noise than a dog and are good for the environment because they eat table scraps, grass clippings and bugs. Their manure makes excellent garden fertilizer. There is no pollution or cost to transport the eggs from farm to table, and there's no antibiotics in their diets, she said.
Currently, urban livestock must live in their owners' homes because the city does not permit them within the urban boundary.
City clerk Dan Carnegie recommended against permitting chickens but was willing to recommend people be allowed to have one pair of breeding rabbits plus up to six baby rabbits.
"Rabbits tend to be a cleaner animal," he wrote.
But Merrtton Coun. Jeff Burch made the motion to permit both chickens and rabbits, and asked staff to prepare a report with recommended guidelines before the city hosts a public meeting and implements the new rules.
Port Dalhousie Coun. Bruce Williamson hinted that not everyone would approve of urban animals, and said it will be good to get public input.
Smulders Fogel said permitting small-scale backyard farming will demonstrate that St. Catharines is "a city that cares about the environment and its citizens' health and well-being."
CHICKEN RULES
Based on what other cities are doing, city clerk Dan Carnegie said any plan to permit urban chickens and rabbits should include the following types of restrictions.
- Only property owners (not tenants) can raise chickens and rabbits
- Chicken coops and rabbit hutches must be at least 25 feet from the rear lot line and 15 feet from a side lot line
- All chicken (and rabbit) owners must register with the city
- Animals must not be allowed to escape
- A maximum of four hens and two rabbits (plus up to six baby rabbits) per property
- No roosters allowed
- Suitable chicken coops and rabbit hutches must be provided and kept in good repair, along with appropriate food, water and shelter, light, ventilation and veterinary care
- Food stored in airtight containers
- Droppings and manure stored in airtight containers and disposed of without creating a public nuisance or health hazard
- No sale of meat, eggs or manure
CHICKEN PROS AND CONS
City clerk Dan Carnegie prepared a list of advantages and disadvantages of backyard chickens.
Pros
- Chickens can provide healthy, pesticide-free eggs
- Reduction of weekly food bills
- Reduction of greenhouse gases through reduction in food transport costs
- Chickens consume kitchen waste, reducing municipal waste problems
- Chickens produce great compost for the garden
- The path to global environmental sustainability begins with local initiatives and urban chickens are one of those
- Potential increase in the possible spread of avian flu
- Possibility of cruelty and mistreatment of chickens
- Opposition of commercial chicken farmers
- Lack of diligence with respect to odour, noise, cleanliness, disposal of deceased chickens and droppings
- Natural attraction of vermin such as rats and mice
- Additional cost and workload of animal control officers responding to complaints such as odour and chickens running at large
- Perception that property values will decrease around urban hen keepers
- Impact that chickens can have on the neighbours
Hi Laura
ReplyDeleteThis is the original article below. I am the person featured in it.
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2579246
I am glad to read that you are open minded about the issue. However, you have listed some of the common myths associated with urban chickens. We (the pro chicken residents) have formed a Facebook page as well as a webpage to try to dispel these myths. Here are the links:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Petition-to-allow-chickens-in-St-Catharines/116183511755620?ref=ts
www.GardenCityChickens.ca
Thank you and good luck at the election!
Ian Watson
We did review the report from the city clerk, and actually researched what the real experiences are from chicken owners and other cities that allow chickens, we also checked with the CDC and looked into other cities bylaws that allow chickens and this is what we came up with.
ReplyDeleteUnlike the Niagara Falls bylaw which allows 10 hens, considering our smaller lot sizes here we think that we should recommend a maximum of 6 hens, as four is the minimum number required for them to maintain body heat in the winter, and also will help with reducing any impact on neighbors.
People tend to fear the unknown, and hens are no exception. Most residents have no prior experience in raising or even living near backyard hens.
Concerns about noise, odors, disease, and the attraction of predators and vermin to backyards have all been effectively addressed by the hundreds of cities and towns that have already allowed backyard hens. Potential predators such as coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks are a non-issue if coops and runs are properly constructed, and hens are locked up during nighttime hours. Any animals in the neighborhood that are attracted would not have an increase of population as a properly constructed coop would not provide them a food source.
Vermin are attracted to a food source, I would suggest that a chicken coop would not attract any more rats than a bird feeder that is not cleaned up after, and a properly built coop would attract less, as in a properly constructed coop, vermin would be kept away from the feed. The same goes for compost bins, which are known to attract raccoons, mice and other vermin. Chickens, if given the chance, love to eat mice.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the report does state that there have been no confirmed cases of disease transmission related to the keeping of chickens I would like to go over the possible problems that were listed.
Health concerns over the spread of animal diseases such as avian flu are largely unfounded. In small numbers, hens are clean creatures, unlikely to generate disease. Large numbers of stressed animals are required to pass and mutate disease. There are different strains of avian flu and the one that has been known to mutate is not present in North America, spread of avian flu can be prevented by roofed runs as contact with infected birds feathers, body fluids or feces is required for transmission to hens. Having chickens registered with the city would allow for culling the urban flocks if a local outbreak were to occur. Currently there are an estimated 60 families in the city that already have chickens and there is no safeguard put in place, such as registering them, to protect the public, so this definitely has to be addressed. There is the added possible benefit that chickens are not animals that can pass West Nile virus, like squirrels can, but in other cities they are used as an indicator species to test and see if they have antibodies to it as they can develop antibodies quickly after exposure. Possibly, chickens registered with the city could be used for testing to see if west nile virus is in the area, in a safer way than handling found dead birds. Chickens do not carry E.Coli, but can be infected with it like any other animal. I have been unable to find any reported cases of E.Coli contamination linked back to chickens. Salmonella can be addressed with proper sanitation practices, such as washing after handling chickens and not allowing small children to handle them. The other diseases listed are more common in parrots and pigeons and are more likely to affect people with compromised immune systems, such as aids patients, but not likely to affect the general public. Just like with pregnant women having cats and the risk of Toxoplasmosis, there are certain members of the public that should not have chickens.
I would agree there is a possibility for cruelty and mistreatment of chickens, this risk exists with any pet, but given that the people who want them are usually people who are concerned about the way chickens are treated in farms, other cities with urban chickens report very low incidences of problems with people not caring for chickens properly. I would suggest that the risk is lower than that of dogs or cats as purchasing chickens does take some time and research just to find them. Research shows the vast majority of hen owners are responsible: pro-hen Canadian cities report very low rates of nuisance complaints. If council allows hens, bylaw officers can expect about six new nuisance complaints next year, not many when compared to the hundreds it received last year regarding dogs.
ReplyDeleteSo this leads to my response to possible opposition of commercial chicken farmers. If they were willing or able to offer me a truly free range egg anywhere in this city, I would gladly buy their product. Friends I have that truly investigate their food sources to ensure that their food animals are treated ethically have to drive half an hour out of town to find a farm they approve of. There is nowhere, that I have been able to find, in this city that you can buy an egg from a chicken that gets to roam outside, not even at specialty shops. If their concern is possible infection coming from backyard flocks into their barns, the limit of 6 hens in the amount of yards likely to have them would not be a significant risk as these populations are not large enough to mutate diseases and are unlikely to come into contact with farmed birds.
There were concerns noted about lack of diligence with keeping chickens clean and quiet. Just like pet dogs who defecate in the yard, chickens will require cleaning up after. A chicken produces quite a bit less feces than a medium sized dog would. This feces is also less likely to spread illness to people than a dog or cats feces would. Dogs and Cats harbor many more bacteria and parasites that can pass to people than chickens do. While it's true that there are going to be bad chicken owners just as there are bad dog owners, I would suggest that part of getting your food from your chickens involves keeping them clean, or you risk contaminating your own food, so you have a vested interest in cleanliness. In terms of animal pollution, hens are more sanitary than most pets. Unlike dog and cat waste, hen waste can be composted. Six hens might weigh thirteen kilograms, compared to a Labrador Retriever's 30 kilograms, so the waste that hens produce is easily managed. Coops need to be cleaned on a regular basis, and the manure needs to be put into a closed composter to mature and to limit odors. From a noise perspective, hens are quiet and docile creatures, certainly much quieter than the barking dogs many of us have in our neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteThe clucking of chickens is generally quieter than conversation level speaking between two people. I'm sure all of you have been at happy Rolphs and visited the chicken enclosure there. I would think this is proof enough that a small amount of chickens does not generate much bad smell at all as long as they are kept clean, as there is very little smell there and I have seen around 20 chickens in that small enclosure.
ReplyDeleteAs for people not disposing of chicken carcasses, many people keep pets, all pets die eventually. The removal of chicken carcasses would be no different than disposing of your pet dog or cat that has met it's demise. I don't know anyone that would leave a dead pet laying around their yard, I can't imagine that people would treat pet chickens any differently.
Despite committing to spending $20,000 to house chickens at the Vancouver humane society, when we called them to ask about how often they get in stray chickens, they replied they had “not seen one in over 3 years.” We also called Surrey BC SPCA to see if they get them in and they said they had none right now and they hardly ever get them in. Niagara Falls humane society also told us they hardly ever get chickens. So I would suggest that the issue of people abandoning their hens is not common at all. People who take in chickens do it because they are concerned about animal welfare, or about where their food is coming from. They are not likely to drop that attitude, especially when they know how easy hens are to take care of and the quality of the eggs you get. Commercial laying hens are usually retired after a year and made into products like canned soup, but a backyard chicken will keep laying for years, although possibly at a slower rate with larger eggs. If you do get bored of them, it is very easy to rehome them or sell them for meat. Considering there are already an estimated 60 families with chickens in St.Catharines already and we do not have a problem with this at all so far, I can not see it being a big problem in future.
According to real estate broker, Nannette Martin of Oregon “One of the arguments against allowing backyard hens is that chickens kept within city limits will cause a reduction in property values.
ReplyDeleteLast summer when the City of Fort Collins, Colorado looked into legalizing city chickens, it consulted Jane Leo with the Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors. Ms. Leo indicated that to her knowledge, city chickens have not affected property values in Portland. Homes in Portland and Corvallis, where backyard hens are permitted, have maintained a higher average estimated value and sale price than homes in Salem where hens are not allowed. Homes in Portland and Corvallis also sell slightly faster than homes in Salem.
It is obvious that having a few backyard hens does not drop property values.”
As for health concerns, the diseases brought up by the health department are mainly diseases that may infect people with a compromised immune system, but are unlikely to infect anyone else. Avian flu can be prevented almost entirely by proper coop design, as was found by Vancouver city hall. As for E.coli and Salmonella, there would be no more risk with a chicken than with other popular pets, such as dogs, cats, lizards, and other pet birds. Chickens don't automatically carry Salmonella, but can be infected with it just like people. Just like with lizards, people should wash their hands after playing or working with their chickens. Eggs should be washed if they are dirty as well. Adult chickens that are not stressed are not as likely to shed salmonella than small chicks and stressed animals living in factory farm conditions. A regularly cleaned coop and hand washing will negate almost all of this small risk. I will reiterate that the finding on the city report was that there have been NO CONFIRMED CASE of disease transmission related to the keeping of chickens.
Which leaves us with the main possible concern listed on the report, flies. Our green bins attract tons of flies, but unlike our green bins in a chicken coop flies can be managed with keeping the coop clean and application of diatomaceous earth to the coop floor. This can be purchased very inexpensively from the feed store. They also sell other products that can absorb odors and control any flies. If that is the main concern we have, it is one that is very easily solved.
ReplyDeleteI also would like to comment on the recommendations on the report. If chickens are allowed a few changes should be made. The space requirements should be more like cities that have a similar amount of hens allowed, such as Vancouver. With a maximum of 6 hens instead of 10 like Niagara Falls allows we should have limits closer to 5 feet from property lines and 10 feet from any doors or windows. Up to four hens can share a nest box without a problem, as they only use it one at a time. Dust baths should not be required unless there is not an earth floor in the run as chickens can dust themselves just fine in regular garden soil. Coops should have floors, runs should be allowed to be bare earth so that chickens can dust bathe and peck at plants and insects.
Now for the benefits of chickens in the backyard.
Organic, free run eggs cost upwards of $5 a dozen. This price is simply out of reach of a lot of the unemployed or underemployed citizens of St.Catharines. Considering the increases in all of our utility bills, taxes, and the masses of layoffs over the past couple of years a lot of people are having trouble with buying just the necessities these days. Everyone should have the right to organic, free run eggs, not just the wealthy. This can also fill a large gap in how much protein some children get on a daily basis as meat is often the first luxury to go when people are feeling a financial pinch. The general month to month cost of maintaining four hens, which produce about 8 dozen eggs a month, is under $10 a month, assuming the chickens only eat hen feed, if they free roam the cost would be significantly lower. This brings sustainable, ethically raised, organic eggs within the reach of every family.
Which leaves us with the main possible concern listed on the report, flies. Our green bins attract tons of flies, but unlike our green bins in a chicken coop flies can be managed with keeping the coop clean and application of diatomaceous earth to the coop floor. This can be purchased very inexpensively from the feed store. They also sell other products that can absorb odors and control any flies. If that is the main concern we have, it is one that is very easily solved.
ReplyDeleteI also would like to comment on the recommendations on the report. If chickens are allowed a few changes should be made. The space requirements should be more like cities that have a similar amount of hens allowed, such as Vancouver. With a maximum of 6 hens instead of 10 like Niagara Falls allows we should have limits closer to 5 feet from property lines and 10 feet from any doors or windows. Up to four hens can share a nest box without a problem, as they only use it one at a time. Dust baths should not be required unless there is not an earth floor in the run as chickens can dust themselves just fine in regular garden soil. Coops should have floors, runs should be allowed to be bare earth so that chickens can dust bathe and peck at plants and insects.
Now for the benefits of chickens in the backyard.
ReplyDeleteOrganic, free run eggs cost upwards of $5 a dozen. This price is simply out of reach of a lot of the unemployed or underemployed citizens of St.Catharines. Considering the increases in all of our utility bills, taxes, and the masses of layoffs over the past couple of years a lot of people are having trouble with buying just the necessities these days. Everyone should have the right to organic, free run eggs, not just the wealthy. This can also fill a large gap in how much protein some children get on a daily basis as meat is often the first luxury to go when people are feeling a financial pinch. The general month to month cost of maintaining four hens, which produce about 8 dozen eggs a month, is under $10 a month, assuming the chickens only eat hen feed, if they free roam the cost would be significantly lower. This brings sustainable, ethically raised, organic eggs within the reach of every family.
A kilogram of beef is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution than driving for 3 hours while leaving all the lights on back home. Replacing this protein with eggs from a backyard coop reduce this greenhouse gas to almost nothing. Backyard chickens tend to eat a lot of household food scraps and yard clippings, which have no carbon imprint and can result in less fuel being used to relocate household waste.
For those of us that also raise organic vegetable gardens, chicken manure is a great thing to have around. Chicken manure is second only to bat guano as a source of nitrogen and makes great garden fertilizer.
ReplyDeleteIt is frequently stated by farmers that it is impossible to feed the world organically and with drug free animals. I think this is one great way to get us closer to that goal. Factory farmed animals account for about 95% of our antibiotic usage, pollute waterways, and smell awful due to the barns being overcrowded and cleaned only when animals are sent to slaughter. Thousands of chickens in one spot that isn't cleaned for months at a time is unpleasant for anyone within kilometres of that barn. Backyard chickens don't pollute our waterways, don't increase our antibiotic resistance diseases, and don't cause animals to live in crowded barns causing horrible smells. Chickens who are fed an organic diet, allowed to roam freely, and graze on grass have been shown to lay eggs with higher levels of Vitamin E and Omega-3 while reducing the amount of cholesterol content. Today many people, including small farmers and hobbyists, are discovering the enjoyment of having Backyard Chickens. A backyard chicken coop was once considered a necessity and most families would have a small flock of chickens that they would raise. Concern over current farming practices and growing education about them are causing people to embrace growing their own food again. I can only see this trend getting more popular in the future as more people start questioning why so much of their food is coming from China and Mexico and not being grown locally. Putting a bylaw change through that allows backyard chickens will make St.Catharines stand out as a forward thinking community that cares about the environment and it's citizens health and well being.
Cons
ReplyDelete* Potential increase in the possible spread of avian flu - Um, not true
* Possibility of cruelty and mistreatment of chickens - Ditto for every single pet out there. Do we outlaw all ownership of animals then? Or single out chickens and rabbits for special treatment, which is far short of fair.
* Opposition of commercial chicken farmers - How do local vegetable farmers feel about us growing our own food? Why should the farmers not wanting us to have our own less expensive access to our own healthy food be considered in this debate?
* Lack of diligence with respect to odour, noise, cleanliness, disposal of deceased chickens and droppings - Again, back to the issue of pets in general.
* Natural attraction of vermin such as rats and mice - Bird seed and improperly stored kitchen compost also attract them.
* Additional cost and workload of animal control officers responding to complaints such as odour and chickens running at large - Again, dogs and cats.
* Perception that property values will decrease around urban hen keepers - You want to ban coops based on perceptions?
* Impact that chickens can have on the neighbours - Barking dogs, Harley Davidson motorcycles, Brock student parties... none of these have been banned. Why not?