Comments on: Vancouver City Council votes to allow chickens in yards http://www.cityfarmer.info/2009/03/06/vancouver-city-council-votes-to-allow-chickens-in-yards/ New Stories From 'Urban Agriculture Notes' Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:03:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: PthaloAttack http://www.cityfarmer.info/2009/03/06/vancouver-city-council-votes-to-allow-chickens-in-yards/comment-page-1/#comment-4346 PthaloAttack Tue, 17 May 2011 16:00:27 +0000 http://www.cityfarmer.info/?p=1180#comment-4346 I found most of the people who are concerned about chickens in the city are unaware of how easy it is to care for these animals. Urban residents keep massive dogs in high rise apartments while the owners leave all day to work, and people are concerned about chickens getting enough exercise? With responsible ownership, there should be no issues keeping any animal, provided any nuisances are eliminated. I can understand people complaining about odour, but the smell of keeping chickens isn't anything compared to someone keeping a compost. As long as proper care is given and cleaning is performed to keep a chicken coop sanitary (which is very easy, seeing how chicken poop dries up and can easily be separated from the straw/wood chips of the coop and tossed away or composted) there should be no reason why people can't keep hens as pets and for their eggs. And the complaint about avian flu is ridiculous with all the pigeons in cities. That excuse doesn't fly! People are looking too hard to find reasons against responsible chicken keeping. We've already allowed a number of animals to become our companions. Why not hens? They're friendly, hilariously amusing, children will love and learn from them like they can from any animals. They pose no dangers of attack (pecking does not hurt). Any animal can cause health and odour issues if they're not properly looked after. And dogs, the most commonly kept pets, are MUCH louder. As long as measures are taken to ensure chicken keepers are responsible (like they already do with all other animals) then chickens should be allowed, as long as they're kept on the property of the owner. Same rules apply to any animal. And those that are trying to fight against it, why all the hate? We're not trying to make you keep chickens on your property, why is there such an issue about what we do on ours? This issue stems from a lack of understanding, and people get the wrong idea when they consider chickens in the city. These animals aren't going to be running around loose! They'll be kept in yards, enclosed, out of sight from everyone. That's not a problem. No one's noticed my secret little hens, and I live on the corner of a main street in a large city! The noise of traffic, street cars, etc. completely obscures any sound. And at night, my 2 girls come inside to sleep on a roost in a dog crate lined with newspaper which is cleaned everyday. They go to bed at 930pm and wake up at 930am, and make no noise in their cage between those times. I clean their coop on a regular basis, and no one has to deal with them but me. No one can even see them! Yet they're supposed to be a problem. I don't believe it. I found most of the people who are concerned about chickens in the city are unaware of how easy it is to care for these animals. Urban residents keep massive dogs in high rise apartments while the owners leave all day to work, and people are concerned about chickens getting enough exercise?
With responsible ownership, there should be no issues keeping any animal, provided any nuisances are eliminated. I can understand people complaining about odour, but the smell of keeping chickens isn’t anything compared to someone keeping a compost.
As long as proper care is given and cleaning is performed to keep a chicken coop sanitary (which is very easy, seeing how chicken poop dries up and can easily be separated from the straw/wood chips of the coop and tossed away or composted) there should be no reason why people can’t keep hens as pets and for their eggs. And the complaint about avian flu is ridiculous with all the pigeons in cities. That excuse doesn’t fly! People are looking too hard to find reasons against responsible chicken keeping. We’ve already allowed a number of animals to become our companions. Why not hens? They’re friendly, hilariously amusing, children will love and learn from them like they can from any animals. They pose no dangers of attack (pecking does not hurt). Any animal can cause health and odour issues if they’re not properly looked after. And dogs, the most commonly kept pets, are MUCH louder. As long as measures are taken to ensure chicken keepers are responsible (like they already do with all other animals) then chickens should be allowed, as long as they’re kept on the property of the owner. Same rules apply to any animal. And those that are trying to fight against it, why all the hate? We’re not trying to make you keep chickens on your property, why is there such an issue about what we do on ours? This issue stems from a lack of understanding, and people get the wrong idea when they consider chickens in the city. These animals aren’t going to be running around loose! They’ll be kept in yards, enclosed, out of sight from everyone. That’s not a problem. No one’s noticed my secret little hens, and I live on the corner of a main street in a large city! The noise of traffic, street cars, etc. completely obscures any sound. And at night, my 2 girls come inside to sleep on a roost in a dog crate lined with newspaper which is cleaned everyday. They go to bed at 930pm and wake up at 930am, and make no noise in their cage between those times. I clean their coop on a regular basis, and no one has to deal with them but me. No one can even see them! Yet they’re supposed to be a problem. I don’t believe it.

]]> By: Edward http://www.cityfarmer.info/2009/03/06/vancouver-city-council-votes-to-allow-chickens-in-yards/comment-page-1/#comment-50 Edward Sat, 07 Mar 2009 21:24:49 +0000 http://www.cityfarmer.info/?p=1180#comment-50 Well, finally! I've been advocating this idea for years. I suspect that the prohibition had a lot more to do with classist anti-rural prejudices, as well as a means of keeping 'ethnic' communities under control, than any concern for chicken welfare. Three barking german shepherds is fine, but a chicken is bad? A few hens around can have a calming effect, and produce food, as well as garden manure. Of course, there should be a few restrictions. Limits should be placed on number of hens (six - the same as other birds, perhaps?), roosters should not be permitted - they are far too noisy, far too early. And of course, hen welfare should be important. The criticism of the SPCA's Geoff Urton is well intentioned, but not wholly logical. If we applied this logic universally, we'd have to ban birds, cats, dogs, chicken, goldfish, too - not to mention children. And Ray Nickel's complaint is laughable. The commercial poultry industry may well have given us Avian Influenza through their own chicken-torturing greed. Now, I have to go design my new hen house. Well, finally! I’ve been advocating this idea for years. I suspect that the prohibition had a lot more to do with classist anti-rural prejudices, as well as a means of keeping ‘ethnic’ communities under control, than any concern for chicken welfare. Three barking german shepherds is fine, but a chicken is bad?

A few hens around can have a calming effect, and produce food, as well as garden manure. Of course, there should be a few restrictions. Limits should be placed on number of hens (six – the same as other birds, perhaps?), roosters should not be permitted – they are far too noisy, far too early. And of course, hen welfare should be important.

The criticism of the SPCA’s Geoff Urton is well intentioned, but not wholly logical. If we applied this logic universally, we’d have to ban birds, cats, dogs, chicken, goldfish, too – not to mention children.

And Ray Nickel’s complaint is laughable. The commercial poultry industry may well have given us Avian Influenza through their own chicken-torturing greed.

Now, I have to go design my new hen house.

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