Greater Sudbury is hosting “Chicken Chats.”
No, this is not an attempt to improve communication between humans and chickens but rather to determine the feelings of the populace on the subject of allowing backyard hens.
The study, running until November 15, aims to gauge the public’s interest in permitting chickens to be kept in backyard coops to provide eggs in residential areas of Sudbury.
The feedback will go into an information report to be presented at Sudbury’s city council when meetings resume in December.
In North Bay, Brent Johnson has made appearances at local council meetings in an effort to have councillors clucking their approval of backyard hens, so far to no avail.
It was last year that Johnson first appeared to ask that he be permitted to keep his backyard hens. He harvests the eggs for consumption and has often spoken of the advantages of having fresh-laid eggs handy.
Johnson says he is not trying to put the chicken before the egg in this situation. He has presented several studies from veterinary authorities across the country to Council. He believes no study is needed with all that has been documented already. Johnson agrees that some sort of licencing is in order, making backyard chickens a money-maker for the City.
The reservations that he hears most often are the noise level of hens and the cleanliness and health factors involved in keeping chickens. Johnson says the noise is minimal and with the proper training course, the practice is safe.
Perhaps the results of the Chicken Chats in Sudbury will help Johnson put pressure on the new Council in North Bay to reveal its true feathers on the subject.
