We have now entered the realm of urban agriculture. Not only am I growing edibles in all my flower beds and exchanging our front lawn for vegetable production, but we now have 3 feathered ladies in our backyard.
It looks like it will be some time indeed before our council allows Urban Hens, so a lot of us have chosen to just go ahead with it, by-laws be... well, you know.
Bonnie Klohn came with me to pick up our "Miller Browns" on Saturday morning in a cardboard box (It turned out it's harder to find a cardboard box on a Saturday morning than it is to catch a chicken), while my husband put the finishing touches on the coop at home. We put the rustling box in the coop and gently turned it on it's side. Slowly the hens ventured out and waggled their heads at the new surroundings. Our dog Timmy took to them quite easily - that is until he got his nose pecked. My husband has dubbed them "The Golden Girls" and their characters are already very evident. We have had 4 eggs in 2 days which is very good considering they just moved in.
Our neighbors on either side of us approve of our chickens, but I am still a little concerned about strangers walking by and seeing them. But soon the coop will be moved to the side of the house where no one can see them.
I am letting them rummage in my veggie garden for cut worms before I turn over the soil, as I have already lost a few transplants to the horrible little caterpillars.
I will include detailed pictures of our chicken tractor in a few days.
Here are some pictures I took today:
A store bought "free range" egg (left) and our 4th egg, laid just this morning (right).
The Golden Girls have been eating my fall rye grass, dandelions, kitchen scraps, a little store bought feed, organic spelt(whole grain), bugs and grubs.
This one is my favorite, she is gentle and very pretty.
The Golden Girls feasting on my kitchen scraps.
yay for you sar! chickens! can't wait to see them one day.
ReplyDeleteDear Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you took the time to discuss this matter with your neighbours. City staff do not look for chickens and I sincerely doubt that anyone passing by would be bothered. Quite frankly if your neighbours are happy, then so am I. As I pointed out earlier, raising a hen or two on one's property is an activity not in compliance with zoning. The same would be true if you had three cats. A lot of people probably have three cats and their neighbours don't mind so the city does not bother with enforcement. It keeps people responsive to the concerns of those around them and prevents the city from needing a rule for everything. Sometimes condoning is better than permitting. I appreciate you don't agree with that viewpoint, but I expect that you will be able to responsibly raise a couple of hens without any problems.
Man Chickens and politicians have less in common then I thought.
ReplyDeleteI love the comparison picture- what a difference a really fresh egg makes! I miss having backyard hens, but live in Abbotsford, a very agricultural community which, of course, does not allow you backyard hens. Wonder what they have to say about ducks? I like duck eggs even better, especially for baking. Keep up the fight for change, and good for you!
ReplyDelete