So there is a bylaw in Calgary that says you are not allowed to raise any livestock in the city limits, and that includes Chickens. You see, apparently they are too noisy, smelly, and can get diseases. Because of those factors the city of Calgary is refusing to let people raise small flocks of chickens in the city limits.
So what is this stuff about noise, smell, and disease? I don't know about you, but in my neighborhood there are a lot of dogs. These dogs like to bark, we have a lovely old Boxer on one side, an older Golden Retriever on the other, and some sort of giant dog that looks like a bear cub across the street. They all bark. Chickens cluck, they are a lot like pigeons, not exactly noisy, and certainly quieter then a dog. Roosters are the noisy ones, but they are only good for impregnating chickens and looking pretty...
The smell... well, yes, chicken poo stinks. But it is no more smelly then the goodies that dogs leave in parks and in my back alley. Certainly chickens smell better then the fumes that come off of the jazzed up 4x4's that roam suburbia around me.
And the disease? If you are caring for your birds and don't cram them into confined spaces chickens are pretty disease resistant. It is only when you shove them into pens with 25,000 other birds that they really start to get sick, but then that happens with people too. Dogs get rabies, cats get feline leukemia, children get chicken-pox ( har har ). If you are not being stupid and are respecting your animals things run tickety boo.
Now you might ask why would anyone want to raise a chicken? Well, for me, there are a number of good reasons. First off eggs. I love eggs, and I can think of no better way to get fresh eggs then to have chickens in my back yard happily laying a few dozen eggs for me a month. Think of the fresh scrambled eggs, and the awesome omelets, and the great baked goods.
Second I think it is important to know where your food comes from. I am increasingly getting keen on the idea of the local food chain and knowing who is growing my food. I don't trust Safeway. And I certainly do not trust Cargill or Monsanto to deliver me safe healthy food that has been produced with any semblance of respect. Even trusted brands like Maple Leaf scare me now, so I am starting to look to local farmers and ranchers to provide me with food. What can be more local then my back yard?
Third I think it would be good for the garden. Chickens eat bugs, keep the lawn down, and drop some of the best nitrogen fertilizer you can find. Just have to keep them out of the bits of garden reserved for crops so they don't kill the veggies. Not only is it good for the garden, I think it is good for the soul and the chickens. They get a happy life, I get to connect with my farming roots, any kids Sarah and I have get to enjoy the cycle of life... all boons in my book.
So what is this stuff about noise, smell, and disease? I don't know about you, but in my neighborhood there are a lot of dogs. These dogs like to bark, we have a lovely old Boxer on one side, an older Golden Retriever on the other, and some sort of giant dog that looks like a bear cub across the street. They all bark. Chickens cluck, they are a lot like pigeons, not exactly noisy, and certainly quieter then a dog. Roosters are the noisy ones, but they are only good for impregnating chickens and looking pretty...
The smell... well, yes, chicken poo stinks. But it is no more smelly then the goodies that dogs leave in parks and in my back alley. Certainly chickens smell better then the fumes that come off of the jazzed up 4x4's that roam suburbia around me.
And the disease? If you are caring for your birds and don't cram them into confined spaces chickens are pretty disease resistant. It is only when you shove them into pens with 25,000 other birds that they really start to get sick, but then that happens with people too. Dogs get rabies, cats get feline leukemia, children get chicken-pox ( har har ). If you are not being stupid and are respecting your animals things run tickety boo.
Now you might ask why would anyone want to raise a chicken? Well, for me, there are a number of good reasons. First off eggs. I love eggs, and I can think of no better way to get fresh eggs then to have chickens in my back yard happily laying a few dozen eggs for me a month. Think of the fresh scrambled eggs, and the awesome omelets, and the great baked goods.
Second I think it is important to know where your food comes from. I am increasingly getting keen on the idea of the local food chain and knowing who is growing my food. I don't trust Safeway. And I certainly do not trust Cargill or Monsanto to deliver me safe healthy food that has been produced with any semblance of respect. Even trusted brands like Maple Leaf scare me now, so I am starting to look to local farmers and ranchers to provide me with food. What can be more local then my back yard?
Third I think it would be good for the garden. Chickens eat bugs, keep the lawn down, and drop some of the best nitrogen fertilizer you can find. Just have to keep them out of the bits of garden reserved for crops so they don't kill the veggies. Not only is it good for the garden, I think it is good for the soul and the chickens. They get a happy life, I get to connect with my farming roots, any kids Sarah and I have get to enjoy the cycle of life... all boons in my book.
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