Neighbours talking over the garden gate has long been a tradition. They share gardening tips, complain about the weather and pests yet are ever eager to discuss their gardens. That is what I had in mind when creating this blog. So stop by my garden gate to find out the latest happenings in my garden.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
"All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child." ~ Madame Marie Curie"
Oh my gosh! The bylaw has passed allowing us backyard chickens in our municipality! I am beyond excited. We were rural before so had no problems with backyard chickens but moving into an urban setting, there was this pesky bylaw nonsense. So they have allowed it! The ground is covered with snow but I've already been in touch with a friend who raises chickens. I thought I would start with 5 chickens but our son`s fiancée said we would get an egg from each every 14 hours. Five eggs almost twice a day would really add up! I might have to rethink my plan.
Anyway, this is awesome news for our little corner of beautiful Ontario, Canada. It allows us one more way to produce our own food using organic methods. Up to now, we could have rabbits inside town limits but not chickens. Chickens are a wonderful source of protein. They are good producers that help control insects and grubs in the garden. They are low maintenance, beneficial animals in the garden and they give you an egg every 14 hours! So it really is a win:win that I intend to take advantage of.
The past couple of days I posted the first and second of an exclusive interview by Green Apple with Toronto Chickens regarding keeping backyard chickens. While this debate rages in communities across Canada it is important to realize that keeping egg laying chickens in your back yard makes good economical and ecological sense. Those growing their own produce do so to have fresh, organic produce right at their back door so it is only natural to extend that to being able to provide an expensive source of free eggs as part of your gardening experience. Chickens also fit nicely in with urban gardening providing you keep them out of the actual garden beds where their pecking will destroy any plants. Here are some of the benefits of keeping laying hens:
As pets go, laying hens are: quiet, problem free, smell free and yet give you free eggs. They don't bother neighbours unlike both cats and dogs.
Laying hens are a natural choice that fits well with eco-friendly living by providing food for your family in small spaces.
Laying hens actually become pets. They each have their own personalities so not only do you get to enjoy their eggs you get to enjoy their company.
Laying hens love table scraps so they are a viable option for those who do not have a large space for all their composting needs and in areas where composting is not possible. They are are great companion for composting rewarding you in nutritious eggs.
Each laying hen will lay one possibly two eggs daily. A family of two may only need 2 to 4 laying chickens.
Laying chickens have less of an environmental impact when compared to other pets and unlike other pets they do earn their keep. They are one of the best natural insect controls possible.
On the flip side there are justifiable concerns over allowing people to have laying hens in their urban backyards.
Noise can be a problem if the number of laying hens is greater that 4 or 5. A flock of 20 hens is going to be noticeable and it is even worse if a rooster is introduced into the picture.
Negligent owners is always going to be a concern. True most having backyard chickens are going to be responsible owners but that 5% that isn't is going to give the rest a bad name.
Other raiding animals such as raccoons and skunks are attracted to chicken coops so this can present a problem in the neighbourhood.
There is a concern over the spread of disease (eg. Salmonella, Avian flu) even though there is no supporting documentation regarding laying hens in an urban setting.
On thing is for sure that those controlling the egg prices in Canada are on the forefront of squashing the idea of people raising their own chickens. After all if one family can produce a couple dozen eggs per week the annual loss to the egg industry when multiplied by many families could be substantial. For those so against chickens consider cats that can be quite destructive in the neighbourhood and yet are allowed to run free. Consider dogs that cost a considerable amount of money to keep per year yet can easily take the life of a child should they turn vicious. Consider both cats and dogs spread diseases to humans and through pet dander are one of the leading causes of allergies and asthma costing hundreds of thousands of dollars annually Canada wide in medications alone to treat these conditions directly related to pet ownership. Consider too in Canada you can have pets such as python snakes that can escape their cages, slither into someone's apartment then bite them while they are working at their computer. This actually happened a few days ago in Peterborough, Ontario. Chickens on the other hand tend to be rather benign when it comes to pets.
I don't see this issue going away. People want the option to be able to put safe food on their tables and to become a bit more self sufficient. Like the speaker on Toronto Chickens many are simply going to go ahead and get their chickens then deal with the legalities if/when it becomes an problem. With the growing concerns over our food supply and wanting organic choices for our food, raising chickens is destined to become part of backyard, urban gardening.
Yesterday I posted part one of Green Apple Pie interview with Toronto Chickens in November 2009. Here is part two of the interview. The speaker's face has been obscured with two chicken eggs in order to protect her identity. She raises chickens in her own backyard in a residential neighbourhood of the City of Toronto, ON. It's important to point out that as of March 7, 2010 she still had her chickens so this is a current and ongoing debate, one that I am sure is going to get quite interesting.
The debate over allowing people to raise chickens in their backyards continues across Canada. There is no hard, fast rules over keeping chickens with some communities such as Victoria, BC and Niagara Falls, ON allowing residents to have backyard chickens while other communities forbid them. Yet other communities such as Toronto, Calgary, Waterloo and other larger centers are still debating the issue. Some residents have been charged with keeping chickens within city limits while the debate continues. There are a number of vocal pro-chicken advocacy groups including: the Halifax Chicken Group, The Canadian Liberated Urban Chicken Klub (also known as CLUCK), Backyard Chickens and Poultry Canada, Omelettes for Everyone and the Waterloo Hen Association.
Over the next couple of days I will discuss the issue of keeping backyard chickens and how this practice fits in with urban gardening. Today's post is part one of an exclusive Green Apple Pie interview with Toronto Chickens. The speaker's face has been obscured with two chicken eggs in order to protect her identity. She raises chickens in her own backyard in a residential neighbourhood in the City of Toronto. Tomorrow's post will be part two of this interview. The following post will be a commentary on the issue of backyard chickens including the pros and cons.
We live in rural area on waterfront property on a small, dead-end road with about 20 other families which basically forms a very small, tight-knit community. We have neighbours on both sides but none to the front or back. Most here have vegetable gardens but there are a few that don't. This spring one of the families set up things to raise chickens. Now if you were to see the location and the houses, chickens are definitely not something you would expect. Yes it is rural and I can easily walk to a cattle farm, this road is not that kind of rural if you know what I mean. So I have been watching to see how their experiment would work. It has been such a success others are talking of getting chickens and I'm considering it myself.
The city of Toronto, Ontario also considering allowing residents to keep chickens in their backyards. This is growing trend in many urban areas with several larger centres in Ontario already allowing this. Why? Community leaders are viewing raising chickens in the backyard as a way for people to help themselves. The chickens are generally for egg laying purposes only depending on the gardener. The eggs are an inexpensive protein that stretches food resources in trying times. They also reason that those keeping chickens will also keep small gardens to further help themselves promoting self-sufficiency that reduces the reliance on city food banks. The chickens are viewed as pets. They are quite quiet and definitely a lot less obnoxious than a dog that incessantly barks. They don't smell either. Sue raises 9 chickens for egg laying purposes in the suburbs of a large mid-Western city.
When Sue's chickens are laying she can expect anywhere from 9 to 18 eggs per day. On the low end that works out to 5¼ dozen eggs per week. Our eggs are averaging $2.50 per dozen so that is a savings for her family of $13 less any chicken feed per week assuming she uses that many eggs. What this will enable her to do is generate a small income from her chickens if she so desires or share her eggs with family and friends. So essentially growing your own eggs makes good economic sense but it gets better. Chickens are ideal for insect control and their droppings are great for adding nutrients to your garden so they are a gardeners dream in that respect. However, they will literally destroy your garden digging and scratching in their quest for insects so it is best to keep the chickens in chicken runs or portable chicken tractors. Chicken runs will also protect your chickens from any predators that may be in the area such as neighbourhood cats or dogs. When the garden is fallow the chickens can be allowed to free range but should still be protected from predators.
I plan to do a bit of research on raising chickens over the winter then start with 4 possibly 5 chickens in the spring. This should be a fun adventure!
I am a wife, mother and grandma who enjoys the many aspects of homemaking. A variety of interests and hobbies combined with travel keep me active. They reflect the importance of family, friends, home and good food.
