11-01-2016, 08:54 AM
From the Record: Bylaw staff recommend backyard chicken coops but no roosters
-Maximum of four hens
-$50 one-time licensing fee and initial coop inspection
-Chickens must be banded with owner information and in an enclosed run when not in their coops
-Coops must be three metres from the side lot line and 1.2 metres from the rear lot line
I have some neighbours with chickens, and most don't meet those requirements, but probably could. Some may have to relocate their coops slightly. I know of a few who currently let their chickens roam their backyard, but realistically that seems low-risk if you have good communication with your neighbours.
The proposal seems a lot like the Guelph bylaw, but that bylaw requires the coop to be at least fifty feet from any other house. Since Kitchener's would be a lot line setback, it's conceivable in some neighbourhoods that a neighbour could have a chicken coop in a side yard ten feet from your home. I'm not sure how impactful that could be. I guess the daily cleaning requirements would mitigate impact, but if you don't happen to like the sounds of chickens, you might be out of luck.
-Maximum of four hens
-$50 one-time licensing fee and initial coop inspection
-Chickens must be banded with owner information and in an enclosed run when not in their coops
-Coops must be three metres from the side lot line and 1.2 metres from the rear lot line
I have some neighbours with chickens, and most don't meet those requirements, but probably could. Some may have to relocate their coops slightly. I know of a few who currently let their chickens roam their backyard, but realistically that seems low-risk if you have good communication with your neighbours.
The proposal seems a lot like the Guelph bylaw, but that bylaw requires the coop to be at least fifty feet from any other house. Since Kitchener's would be a lot line setback, it's conceivable in some neighbourhoods that a neighbour could have a chicken coop in a side yard ten feet from your home. I'm not sure how impactful that could be. I guess the daily cleaning requirements would mitigate impact, but if you don't happen to like the sounds of chickens, you might be out of luck.