Town of Cornwall takes another look at allowing backyard chickens in residential areas
CBC
The Town of Cornwall wants to make sure it doesn't ruffle feathers when it comes to the rules around keeping backyard chickens.
On Wednesday night, council discussed a new request to change its bylaws to allow the animals in residential areas.
Currently, they are only allowed in zones designated "rural residential" and agricultural.
Coun. Elaine Barnes is all for the idea.
She said the last time it was discussed, there wasn't much interest by council. But she thinks thing are different this time around as food prices have skyrocketed.
"A lot of families are having a hard time making ends meet with the cost of food continuously rising. And this is a sustainable food source. It also teaches our children where our food comes from," she said.
"As a council we have the ability to make positive changes in their lives."
Barnes said there are some things that should be considered, in order to make the idea a success.
"It's all about having the right amount of chickens for one thing. You don't want to overwhelm the family that's learning these new skills ... you need a certain amount of space for the chickens outside and inside. You also need fencing, to protect them from coyotes and foxes," she said.
There's also education around avian flu precautions and keeping food in rodent-proof containers to think about, Barnes said.
Rosalyn Abbott knows all about raising animals, including chickens. It's something her family is doing at their home in Clyde River.
She said they used to live in Cornwall, but moved because they weren't allowed to keep small farm animals.
Abbott said she'd hoped to be able to get permits in Cornwall to do that, but her request was rejected by the town years ago.
She had purchased two miniature goats, which she eventually kept down the road from their Cornwall home.
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