Picture this: you’re out of eggs. Uh oh. How are you going to make that fancy french omelette you saw online? Or finally put that pasta machine to use and make some fresh linguine to impress that certain someone in your life? Or bake that fancy black forest cake for your mom because you forgot about Mother’s day and really really need to make it up to her? Sorry if this exercise has sent you into a shame spiral or anxious rut! Take a deep breath before we continue, because I have some more bad news. The grocery stores are so far away and when you get there, you discover that there’s actually an egg shortage province-wide! You think to yourself: “Is this a nightmare?” No, it’s a wake up call. Lucky for you I have amazing news. You don’t need those stinkin’ stores because you, my friend, have backyard chickens. That’s right. Backyard. Chickens.
Okay, open your eyes. Wow. Very impressive that you were able to read that whole paragraph with your eyes closed. That’s actually kind of freaky. I’m a little weirded out, but we’re going to move past this because it’s time to learn about how you (yes, you, the oddly talently eyes-closed-reader) can have backyard hens and produce your own lovely eggs. Truth be told this is something that my house has achieved in the last month and it’s a game changer. So sit back, relax, open those eyes, and prepare to have your game changed as I explain how you too can have backyard chickens.
The first step is to look into the backyard hen laws of your municipality. Yes that’s right, the law even extends to your flock. Flock law. In Vancouver, for example, you can have up to four hens and ZERO roosters. This is because roosters suck. They do the whole COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO thing at the ass-crack of dawn and your neighbours will hate you for it. You also can’t have ducks, turkey or other fowl as backyard pets. That’s a no-go zone for Vancouver. You also MUST have a hen enclosure for them. Here’s one that we built:
The hen house (Andrew Hynes)
It’s a very simple design and a lot of the wood for it was found for free in alleys that had construction going on. We got lucky and so can you! The point you should be taking away so far is that this doesn’t have to be a bank-breaking excursion, especially if you’re working on it with a bunch of friends or roommates. Teamwork makes the dreamwork, etc.
Back to the Flock laws. Vancouver by-laws state that the hen enclosure has to be at least 1 metre from the property line and 3 metres from any windows or doors of houses. It also can’t be in your front yard. Duh. We’re talking BACKYARD chickens here. There are a bunch of other rules that I’m going to leave here, which I highly encourage you to look at before you start building. The city of Vancouver is pretty particular about how much space each hen has and what they are entitled to. You should also definitely know how to care for your hens. They are not the brightest creatures and will need all the help they can get. Here are some links on how to take care of them.
Okay, onto the next step.
Let’s say at this point, you have done your homework and have built your hen house. Before you place your casa de chicken in your backyard you should also plan where you are going to build the run. That’s right, the chicken run. Chickens need a place to roam around and chill. You can’t just keep them locked in the coop all day, they’ll get stressed or bored and will stop producing eggs. And that’s why we’re here, right? That hypothetical egg-shortage isn’t going to resolve itself. Our run is 8×4 metres and is completely fenced-in to protect against all kinds of predators in the city: cats, dogs, racoons, etc. You don’t have to do this, you can opt to just have a tall fence and lock them in the coop every night and out every morning, but we chose to do it for peace of mind. We leave the door to coop open 24/7 and let the chickens come and go as they please. It’s also very rewarding to bring them their night food and water and see that they have already tucked themselves in for the night. It also lets us sleep in on weekend mornings and not worry about letting them out.
The chicken run (Andrew Hynes)
Now onto the fun part. I mentioned earlier that chickens can get stressed or bored. Here are some ideas to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’m going to save you lots of trial and error and give you the best idea ever. This idea will all but guarantee your backyard hens’ happiness. Two words: disco ball. No, sadly this isn’t for a chicken dance party (that would be amazing though). The fact of the matter is that chickens LOVE chasing reflected lights. I learned this by complete accident when I noticed that one of our hens was pecking at the spot of reflected light coming from my wrist watch. When I moved the light the hen chased after it. I was even able to make her spin in a circle! So yes, a disco ball is a must. Chickens also love mirrors. I know, first disco balls and now mirrors – you and your future hens have so much in common!
Having backyard hens is an amazing opportunity if you are lucky enough to have the space and the resources. It will not only provide you with a bountiful supply of fresh eggs, the experience is also something that most people take for granted. Backyard chickens are an opportunity to connect with your food in a way that is pretty special. If you aren’t able to experience it, please make friends with someone who can. After all, we’ll need all the help we can get in the hypothetical egg-pocalyspe.
Item with most value in the egg-pocalypse (Monicore / Pixabay)