Elk Point will allow backyard chickens

Urban hens added to pet bylaw

Town of Elk Point Council has voted to allow for urban hens to be raised in town after nearly a dozen residents attended the May 27th council meeting. Residents convinced councillors to amend the municipal pet bylaw to allow a six month Urban Hens project.

Council had previously denied a written request for permission to raise laying hens in a backyard.

However, the homeowner’s presentation framed the idea as a way for Elk Point to set itself apart as a self-sufficient, green community, on-trend with a movement called “homesteading.”

Homesteading: Adults in their 20s and 30s who are interested in organic foods and who want to know where their food is coming from are growing small gardens and producing some of their own food.

Residents in attendance felt Elk Point is an ideal location for young families who are looking for a greener lifestyle. With low housing prices and urban amenities in a rural environment, all Elk Point residents need is permission to keep a small number of laying hens in backyards.

The delegation provided photos of a coop, bylaws from municipalities where Urban Hens are permitted, and responses from the community to a previous Lakeland Connect article to demonstrate the scope of support for the idea.

Council was persuaded to look at laying hens as pets, not livestock, and the Animal Control Bylaw #790/18 now permits hens for a six month pilot project.

Strict guidelines include: a maximum of four residences in Elk Point will be allowed to participate in the pilot project as of June 1, 2019. No more than four hens, and no roosters, will be permitted per yard.  Owners must receive a Premise Identification Number through the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry department. A licencing fee of $50 must be paid to the Town. The size of the coop, the treatment of the hens, the distance of the coop from the fence, the storage and removal of manure, and procedures to discourage predatory wildlife are all outlined in the new bylaw.

 

Before a homeowner is granted permission to own hens, one hundred percent of neighbours whose residence is within 30 feet of the property must support the application.

The Town has contacted individuals who previously were denied requests to have hens, inviting them to participate in the pilot project.