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Duncan council OKs backyard chickens

Thursday, August 9, 2012 - 5:33 PM
By Natasha Riebe
Cowichan Valley

There will be no more clucking about backyard chickens in Duncan, at least not when it comes to debating whether residents should be allowed to keep the friendly fowls on their properties.

City council voted this week to regulate urban coops.

Mayor Phil Kent explained that council believes creating a by-law will help manage potential problems and complaints.

“They felt that the issues regarding sustainability, the ability and right for people to be able to raise food, with proper regulation, was a reasonable decision to move forward with."

City councillor, Martin Barker, grew up on a farm and knows chickens can be noisy and unsanitary and especially bothersome in an urban setting.

“I foresee a certain amount of disharmony coming into our community because there’s lot of people like me, who have chicken experiences and realize that there is a capacity that they will be disruptive,” Barker told SunFM News.

Barker was impressed with the number of residents who responded on a recent survey—approximately 450 people of the just over 2,000 sent out with tax forms. The results showed 54 per cent are against backyard chickens.

Kent explained that council considered input from a variety of forums before making its decision.

“The input that we received over time from the public, both for and against, provided a lot of goods ideas… for regulation.”

Kent said council will insist the by-law be enforced consistently and with sufficient teeth to make it effective.