Urban Chicken Report

Urban Chickens

By Dana Cotnareanu

When we think of food sovereignty, backyard chickens fit the profile. They are a great source of meat and eggs. Urban hens also directly unite consumers with their food supply, ending the alienation we suffer by shopping in supermarkets. Keeping chickens has been a long tradition that the modern industrial food system has made disappear. However, in the last few years, a surge in the demand for keeping these animals has been felt by many North American cities, coming close to a backyard chicken resurrection. While there are many benefits to having urban chickens, municipal bylaws are most often standing in the way of people who would be interested in keeping hens. In some cities like Vancouver, the strong demand has led to a change in policy and a victory for its advocates. However, as we will see further down, city bylaws can also have positive consequences on urban chickens, by regulating their well-being and living conditions. Here are only some of the benefits and concerns surrounding these birds, as well as some links where people can go in order to learn and get in touch with backyard chicken owners.

Benefits of Backyard Chickens:
-Community food security (local supply of food).
-Food safety (knowing what’s in your food).
-Lower food bills for their owners.
-They produce a good source of compost.
-Help reduce greenhouse gases by eliminating transportation.
-Most often will live in much better conditions than those on industrial farms.
-Counters people’s alienation to their food supply, especially with children.

Problems:
While there are many benefits to keeping backyard chickens there are also some concerns. However, most of these can easily be dealt with, or discredited.
First, there is a possibility that the chickens can be mistreated by their owners. But, considering the conditions of modern and industrial chicken farms, we can easily argue that these animals would have a much better chance at avoiding suffering physically or psychologically in people’s backyards. Bylaws can ensure a better treatment of the hens by specifying coop spaces per hen.

The next concerns can also be dealt with thanks to municipal policies. These include cleanliness, noise, and rodent problems. To address this last problem first, simple practices enforced by the city can take care of unwanted pests. For example, the owners can sink the coop deep into the ground and keep their food in solid containers so as to not allow rats or racoons to get to close to the hens. As for cleanliness, most cities who allow backyard chickens have already made bylaws to take care of it. In Seattle for example, fecal matter must be dealt with in 24 hours. Most owners choose to bury it in their compost. When it comes to noise, the obvious solution for city officials is to outlaw roosters, most of which do. As for the hens, they are generally quiet unless there are many of them, and so most cities limit the number of chickens per household.

Networks:
One of the best tools people have at their disposition when they’re thinking about raising hens is online websites. There are several websites who not only provide all the necessary information on keeping chickens, but who also creates networks where people can share their knowledge and experience and connect with others who share their lifestyle.
One that is unintimidating and easy to start with is:
http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/
Some of the most popular ones include:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/
http://urbanchickens.org/
http://www.organicliving.com/Urban-Chickens.html
One which looks at city bylaws in Canada and the United States:
http://www.bitsandbytes.ca/resource/641
Where we can find many forums:
http://www.urban-chickens.com/
A good video from the guardian.co.uk:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2010/jan/01/ask-lucy-chicken...