Urban Hand-raised Hen Programme

I plan to hand raise hens to sell to urban chickenites.

I think that chickens are the best. They can be affectionate, intelligent and they provide their owners with a lovely egg almost every day.

I love the idea of keeping chickens in an urban environment. I wish I had known about this as a kid. Forget about wanting a cat, hens are the answer.

That said, there are challenges for the family who wants to keep a couple of hens in their back yard. I think I've got the answer to that: my Urban Hand-raised Hen Programme.

What challenges could there be? They are only chickens after all.

If you want to hand raise your hen yourself, you have to start from scratch. Most places require a minimum order of 25 chicks which is way too many for an urbanite. The would be chicken lover has to set up all sorts of equipment to keep the chicks healthy. There's special chick feed, brooder, heat lamp, red light bulb to stop them from pecking each other. Correct temperature and airflow are vital. Not too hot, not too cold, good circulation, and no draft. You even have to teach them how to drink. You have to provide special watering equipment to prevent them from drowning. For the first week or so, you have to wipe their bottoms if they get pasty poo stuck all over it. It can be expensive and time consuming to care for chicks.

One could always buy point of lay hens - chickens who are mature enough to start laying, usually after 4 to 6 months of age - are few and far between around here. And even then, they are usually over a year old and are not use to a small flock and human affection.

If left to their own devices, it can be hit or miss if the chicken is affectionate towards people. The best way to do this is to keep them in small flock and handle them several times a day.

What I plan to do is to raise hens in small flocks of 6 or less. Spend lots of time with them every day to socialize them to human interaction. Then, once they are old enough, sell them to urban chickenites.

And yes, before you ask, city people around here can keep hens. From a recent news paper article: The Charm of Chickens:

ROOST RULES

Bylaws governing keeping chickens in a residential neighbourhood vary by municipality. It is recommended interested parties contact their municipal hall or local animal control office. Roosters are not permitted in any urban municipality.

CITY OF VICTORIA

No limit to size of flock

Eggs for personal consumption and cannot be sold

SAANICH

10 chickens on land 1,114.8 square metres to 1,858 square metres

30 chickens on land lots between 1,858 square metres and 0.4 hectare

No limit on land more than 0.4 hectare (or one acre)

ESQUIMALT

Four chickens on any parcel of land zoned for single family residential use

OAK BAy

Requires a poultry-keeping permit

Five chickens on land greater than 745 square metres but less than 1,858 square metres

Eight chickens on land between 1,858 square metres and 4,047 square metres

10 chickens on land greater than 4,047 square metres (or one acre)

NORTH SAANICH

10 chickens on land 12,000 square feet to one acre

20 chickens over one acre to two acres

30 chickens over two acres

CENTRAL SAANICH

No more than five chickens on a parcel of land less than 1,858 square metres

No more than eight chickens on a parcel of land greater than 1,858 square metres and less than 4,047 square metres

No more than 10 chickens on a parcel of land of 4,047 square metres or more