Feeding The Birds

When I first started keeping chickens, one of the things I found challenging was the desire for most chicken people in Guelph to keep a low profile.  In small neighbourhood communities throughout the city are tightly-knit groups of urban "coopers" who are strong supporters of each other.  While the by-laws are explicit, the beauty of keeping a backyard flock is that it is, by nature, self-regulatory. This approach, so different from standardized factory and industrial farming practices, not only makes for happier animals, but allows for new ideas to flourish that can be shared among new chicken-keepers and veterans alike.    Like raising children, we all have methods and philosophies that work for us, and supply us with not only the eggs we enjoy so much, but a deeper fulfillment that is felt in a unique way to each urban chicken keeper.  My dream is to bring together the chicken-keepers of Guelph in a cross-neighbourhood collaboration of ideas and support.  Is one of your birds acting weird, and you don't know why? Need some organic feed in a pinch?  Are you ill, or going away and could use a caring hand for your flock?  Have extra straw to share?  To have a family of like-minded people to turn to for support and encouragement makes embarking on, and sustaining, a successful urban coop so much easier.

Please visit (and like!) The Guelph Chicken Keepers Association on Facebook and add your voice to the discussion.  This week we are looking for ideas for feeding your birds.  Do you feed organic or not? Where do you buy your feed? Are oyster shells a better source of calcium than crushed egg shells?  Do you routinely feed your birds weeds from the garden?  And what about table scraps?  Please share your ideas and thoughts with us.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Guelph-Chicken-Keepers-Association/207677609255499

Bureaucracy At Work

The other day in the newspaper I read an article about farmers facing the floods in Quebec and Manitoba.  It seems that carp have made their way into the fields from surrounding waterways, and now that the waters are receding, farmers are left with the problem of fish in their fields.  The fact that most of these farmers will not even make a profit this year doesn't seem to matter to local officials, who are using their authority to fine farmers up to $1000 for catching fish without a permit.  And never mind that the alternative is to leave the fish there to rot, and that farmers are struggling to regain any of their damaged crops.  Rules are rules, right?

On that same note, I was told by City of Guelph By-Law officials, that free-range hens are not allowed in Guelph.   The by-law states that chickens must be "kept in pens, free of standing water, and disinfected regularly."  Despite my chickens having a coop where they live, roost and nest, its solid wood floors free of standing water and disinfected regularly, I was told their fenced run was not permitted, because "you can't disinfect the ground."  Yes, these were their exact words.

As chicken keepers, you already know:  the whole purpose of backyard chickens is to promote a closed eco-system, practice permaculture, and give our birds the happiest life possible.   The solution, I was told, was to put down a concrete floor outside.  Never mind that chickens need to dust themselves daily, using dirt on the ground to keep their feathers free of ticks and parasites which threaten their lives.  And peck at the ground for sprouts and insects?  Forget it.

If I wanted to eat eggs from chickens raised without the benefit of a free-run I would buy them at the supermarket. Or I could lock them up in the coop all day, force-feed them antibiotics to eliminate the need for dusting, and cram in as many birds as possible for maximum egg yield.

The chickens (and I) would be miserable, but at least I would be obeying the by-law.

Chicken Keeping Friends In Waterloo

There is a trend afoot, and not only is it fun, but helps educate members of the public and prospective hen-keepers about the simple pleasures of having backyard chickens. Following hot on the heels of a recent Jane's Walk Toronto Coop Tour, our friends at the Waterloo Hen Association will be hosting their 2nd Annual Coop Tour on Saturday, May 28th, 2011.

If you have been thinking about keeping chickens, or already have an established flock, networking with other urban chicken keepers is a great way to learn the basics, get new ideas, and create a supportive environment for all those who share a passion for these amazing birds.  Seeing a chicken set-up in action, the layout of the coop and run, feeding stations, roosts and perches, and the birds themselves, will show you how rewarding and relatively easy chicken keeping is.

For more information, visit the Waterloo Coop Tour Website:

http://www.waterloocooptour.com/

Or join the Waterloo Hen Association:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WaterlooHenAssociation/

Should Guelph Chicken Keeping By-Laws Be Amended?

BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by the Council of The Corporation of the City

of Guelph as follows:

1. No person shall keep ducks, geese, poultry or pigeons within the limits of

The City of Guelph unless kept in pens, with floors kept free from

standing water, and regularly cleaned and disinfected, and that such pens

be a distance of at least 50’ from any school, church or dwelling house not

including the owners dwelling house.

2. It shall be an offence to contravene any section of this By-law. Any

person convicted of an offence hereunder shall be liable to a fine not less

than $23 and not more than $500.

3. By-law Number 2860 is hereby repealed.

PASSED this TWENTY FIRST day of OCTOBER, 1985.

1985.  This is the last time the City Of Guelph revisited this by-law, which, according to a City of Guelph by-law officer we spoke with, was first enacted in 1944.  A lot has changed since 1944.

Right now, you must have 50' of distance between your coop and the dwelling of your neighbour.  What does this mean for those on smaller properties?  What if neighbours get together and want to erect a coop and share it?  Does the 50' law still apply?

More and more individuals are taking responsibility for providing food for themselves and their families. Regulations have to be in place to protect our communities from decay and animals from neglect or abuse. What if everyone were permitted to keep chickens, with their flock size relative to the amount of space between themselves and the nearest dwelling?

A by-law in Iowa City requires only the written permission of your neighbours to keep a chicken coop.  Right now, this blogger has that, but according to the City, it isn't enough.

Should urban chicken-keeping by-laws be revisited?  

International Respect For Chickens Day

Chickens are quite affectionate and will follow you
to be picked up.

There are a lot of misconceptions about chickens.  Many people think they incapable of affection or bonding with humans.  In fact, chickens are quite trusting, and even those who have been rescued from shameful factory-farm settings will allow themselves to be picked up and held by their new owners.

May is International Respect For Chickens Month, and today is the day when chicken-lovers around the world speak out against abominable conditions most chickens endure in factory-farm settings, and show their admiration for these docile creatures.  According to National Geographic Magazine, a staggering 52 billion chickens are killed every year for food*, and are born and raised in a climate of suffering to then be eaten.

As urban chicken keepers, we respect chickens every day, and know what the benefits are to ourselves and communities of keeping a coop in our neighbourhood.  Today would be a good day to invite someone to see your coop, so they may witness first hand how domestic chickens are supposed to be treated.  

International Respect for Chickens Day

*source:  National Geographic Magazine, May 2011. p. 28. From a graphic by Nigel Holmes. 

Best Laid Plans

A variety of eggs from heritage breed hens.

Welcome to the Guelph Chicken Keepers Association and our new blog. Guelph is one of the few cities in Canada where it is legal to keep backyard chickens.  This is a good start, but there is still lots to accomplish.  Coops are limited to larger yards, because according to by-laws they must be at least 50' from the nearest house of your neighbour.  There is still a lot of misunderstanding about chickens harbouring diseases and attracting pests, and there are still our friends in Waterloo, Toronto, and elsewhere who are still working to change by-laws so they can legally keep chickens at all.

Properly housed and maintained, a flock of backyard chickens is so valuable.  We all know they provide the most delicious eggs you've ever tasted, and meat (if you are so inclined).  They are a learning experience for kids, and a great way to bring neighbourhood communities together.  A little time spent watching their peaceful ways, scratching the earth for bugs or giving themselves a dust bath,  is enough to make your blood pressure drop a point or two.  Like a clothes drying on a line in the breeze, chickens remind us of simpler times.  We could all use a little more simplicity in our lives, and without asking for much above a clean and sheltered place to live, a place to perch, roost, and nest, and some food, chickens provide it, and much more.

Watch the blog for media reports, photos from members, stories, and lots of useful information and links about urban chicken-keeping in Guelph Ontario.