Backyard hens get the green light in four wards

TheStar.com
March 5, 2018
Samantha Beattie and David Rider

After years of chickening out on backyard hens, Toronto is now allowing the “pets with benefits” to legally nest in four wards.

The new pilot project, Urban Hens TO, began Friday in Ward 5 (Etobicoke-Lakeshore), Ward 13 (Parkdale-High Park), Ward 21 (St. Paul’s) and Ward 32 (Beaches-East York). Residents can keep as many as four hens, but no roosters, per backyard, and must register the hens with the city and comply with regular inspections.

“We ended up with two (hens) and are loving it,” said Trish Tervit, an Upper Beach resident, who first dabbled in chicken raising with her two daughters more than five years ago. “I’m so glad that it’s finally legal. The eggs taste great.”

The fight for the hens stalled in 2012, when councillors shelved a motion for staff to study the feasibility of a backyard pilot.

Last fall, council (in a 23-14 vote) went against a staff recommendation and approved the pilot, which will run until 2021.

Chickens can transmit infectious diseases such as Salmonella to humans, said a city staff report from October. The project could pose a public nuisance problem with hens potentially creating noise and odour, or pose animal welfare risks if they’re not looked after properly.

But hens are well-suited to the urban environment and a lot of behavioural problems are caused by large, crowded, industrial farming situations, not quiet backyard existence, said Lorraine Johnson, author of City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing.

“A lot of people think of backyard hens as pets with benefits. They are amazing creatures, a lot of fun, and their eggs are delicious,” Johnson said.

She and urban farmer Adam Dirks will be hosting information sessions throughout March and April so future hen owners don’t wing it.

“Backyard hens are not a lot of work, but definitely require as much thought as you’d give to getting a dog,” she said.

Residents need to build an insulated, waterproof coop with roofs and doors that lock, nesting boxes and perches, as required by the city. They also have to manage the feed, so as to not attract pests such as racoons, foxes and coyotes, Johnson added.

“Do they want to keep a hen after she stops laying eggs consistently? Have they found a farmer who will take her back?” Johnson said.

There are services for residents who don’t want to commit to hens 365 days of the year. With a location near Milton, Rent the Chicken provides its GTA customers with two to four hens from May to October, along with a coop, feed, tutorial, and delivery and pickup.

“The big benefit is people can chicken out,” said co-founder Jen Tompkins. “If it’s not a good fit, no harm, no foul.”

Rent the Chicken provided 200 chickens to Toronto backyards last year.

As part of the pilot project, hens must be at least 4 months old (so they aren’t confused with roosters), and are to be used for egg production and not to eat, according to the city. Eggs must be for personal consumption and not sold or given away. Manure can be composted or disposed of in the green bin.