Rules that spell out what can and can't be done when keeping backyard chickens in Halton Hills have been approved by council.
During their Tuesday meeting, local councillors passed an amendment to the Responsible Pet Owners By-law to set limits on the number of hens one can keep and create a licensing plan. Ensuring the health and welfare of the birds is also part and parcel of the bylaw.
The regulatory framework follows council's approval of the backyard chicken program in principle last fall.
“While I know passing this by-law may ruffle some feathers, I have to believe that residents who get chickens will be responsible owners," said Mayor Rick Bonnette. "This is new territory for us, so we will be watching the program closely to ensure that it doesn’t go fowl.”
Some of the new regulations include:
- A maximum of four hens are permitted per lot
- All hens shall be a minimum of four months old
- Hens must be kept in a hen coop or hen run at all times
- Each hen must be licensed with the Town within seven days of taking possession, with a licensing fee of $50.
A hen run is an enclosed, covered structure that allows chickens to run around in a secured area - essentially a very large cage with room for hens to stretch their legs. The bylaw defines a coop as “a fully-enclosed, weatherproof building where hens are kept and which the interior of includes [nest] boxes for egg [laying], perches for the hens to sleep on and food and water containers.”
There are a number of purported benefits to keeping backyard hens. Aside from having access to fresh eggs, the hens can act as good pest control, provide access to free fertilizer and even some companionship.
Dogs are also included in the amended bylaw as well. Working dogs, such as herding dogs, livestock guardian animals and service dogs are now exempt from licensing fees.
Mayor Rick Bonnette has been campaigning for exemptions for working dogs for decades. He recounted a tale where a farmer whose calf had been killed by coyotes came to the then-councillor Bonnette for help. The farmer got himself some dogs, but lamented the expense of licensing them. Bonette then brought forward a motion in council, but felt he was “ridiculed” by his colleagues.
“Probably 24 years later, 25 years later, it (the license fee exemption) is put in here. And I’m glad to see it,” Bonnette said at Tuesday’s meeting.
For more information on the new regulations, go to the text of the bylaw itself.
