Considering backyard chickens? Here are some quick tips

Backyard chickens will soon become part of some Kitchener homes this spring - the city is accepting applications fromresidents who want backyard chickens.

In November, the city passed a by-law that would allow residents to have backyard chickens.

• Kitchener passes bylaw amendment allowing backyard chickens
• Limit of 4 backyard chickens per home, Kitchener city staff recommends
• Cambridge resident wants city to allow backyard chickens

If homeowners want to know more about how to takecare of their future chickens, Conestoga College willoffer backyard chicken classes starting April 6.

Mike Craig, owner ofBackyard Bok Boks in Guelph, a backyard chicken rental company,will be teaching the "Backyard Chickens 101" course at Conestoga College.

What to consider

• Chickens need natural space. They will need roomto be able to scratch and dig, said Craig. The general rule is around onesquare metre per chicken.
• They willneed some kind of shelter. Craig recommends having a coop that has different levels of roosting bars goes a long way, as they like to roost up high to protect themselves. Also keepin mind that in the winter time, chickens will need more space and will need some form of heat.
• Chickens will also need protection.You will need some kind of fence, whether it be chicken wire or some kind of light electrical net, said Craig. This willto ensure that yourchickens are protected from their main urban predator, raccoons.

Chickenhealth

Craig recommends getting chickens from a local farm that breed their chickens in areas with lots of space.

"You are going to have healthier hens in the long run," he said.

Having enough natural space in your backyard is also important to keep your chickens happy. They need room to scratch and dig but also to be able to give themselves dust baths.

Here are some indicators that your chickens aren't happy:

• Chickensstop laying eggs.
• Egg shells are weak.
• Unhealthy feathers or skin.
• Constantly pecking each other.

Craig said that another thing to lookfor are poultry mites.

"They will eventually get them," he said. "They get them from other natural birds in the area."

He recommends using diatomaceous earth, a white powder made from fossilized diatoms, a form of algae, to dust nesting boxes and the chickens to prevent them from getting poultry mites.

Kitchenerrules

The city is in the process of sending out application forms to residents that have shown interest in getting backyard chickens,said GloriaMacNeil, director of by law enforcement for the City ofKitchener.

There is also aone-time$50 fee that willcover the cost of processing the application andcover the by-law officer's time for inspecting ahomeowner'sproperty.

"Once we process that, an officer will go out and do an inspection of the coop to make sure that it meets all the setback regulations and that it meets all the other requirements to ensure that the chickens are well looked after and housed properly," she said.

Setback regulations requires at least 1.2 metres from a rear lot line and 2.5 metres from a side lot line.

Homeowners will be allowed to have a total of four backyard chickens. Rooster are prohibited as aresales of eggs or any chicken related products.

Chickens will also need ID bands, MacNeil said. The bands will have the same number as the homeowner's application form to help identify who the chickens belongs to.