Lilac Window

So, I have a funny story to tell.

A couple years ago I borrowed a permaculture book from a friend. I read about how chickens in the back yard can create a happy balance. They fertilize and till garden soil, provide eggs and eat some food scraps. They are fairly low maintenance and seemed like a reasonable idea.

The next day I was at a friend’s house. They have a big back yard and are avid gardeners. They are interested in sustainable living ideas. I suggested they get a couple hens. They said they would love to but didn’t think it was allowed. I thought that was crazy. “Of course they are allowed,” I said…but then swallowed my words thinking “I’d better check first.” So I called City of Calgary and asked around. Most people didn’t know. The planning department, the bylaw guys, they all talked to me like I was the first person to ask. A few said they couldn’t think of any reason why they would not be allowed. And neither could I. Finally I did speak to someone who did know. She showed me the bylaw that stated it.

I was pretty surprised. So I looked into legalizing hens in other cities and decided to write a letter to local Aldermen. I did this, and then published it on my blog at that time Mammacomic. And that’s where I left it. After that, there seemed to be a sort of critical mass on the topic. Fast Forward Magazine did an article, and the facebook CLUCK was formed.

Though I felt backyard hens are a good idea, I wanted to hear all sides of the issue, and let the city choose for itself what is best. After a year of many people working hard for a cause they believe in, the city has made it possible for Calgarians to have hens. I visited the hen booth at the Calgary ECO trade fair. This little sweetheart in the pic was making many new friends. Sign up to CLUCK on facebook if you need more info.The irony is that now that I am allowed to have hens, I don’t even have a backyard to keep them. But I like that fact that if I did, I could. See this pretty blog post about funny hen behavior.

Its cool to be a part of change, however small your part is.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 3rd, 2010 at 2:07 pm and is filed under CALGARY, NEIGHBORHOODS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.