Duncan Martin from Backyard Bounty joined us on July 24th to give an informal workshop on raising hens in your backyard. He makes these tidy coops out of cedar and wire mesh. They are made to the parameters set out by City of Vancouver bylaws.
The “Vancooper” was installed at the Lab on the Friday before the workshop.
According to the City bylaws each hen must have 4 square feet of coop space and 10 square feet of “run.” Each household can keep up to four hens (no roosters) for egg laying purposes. Enclosures must be at least 3 feet from the property line and 10 feet from windows and doors.
Duncan shared his years of chicken rearing experience, answering everyone’s questions. I’ll attempt to recap here:
Food
He recommended using an organic feed rather than an industrial grade feed. These can be purchased at local pet stores. He also keeps some “scratch” on hand. It’s a mix of seeds and corn kernels and can be used as a treat to help gather the hens.
Chickens know what is good for them to eat and what isn’t. They instinctively know what is poisonous. They will also eat table scraps such as cucumber and zucchini.
Shelter
It’s important that chickens have protection from pests and predators so a secure structure made with a strong dense mesh is needed. When locating the coop in your yard consider a shady area that is o.k for the chickens to scratch up.
Chickens will go up into the roost at night. They need a ledge or perch that they can sleep on — a rounded 2 x4 will work.
Laying
Hens will lay without a rooster, it’s just that the eggs are not fertilized. They will lay from about 6 months to five years of age. As hens get older they produce fewer but larger eggs.
Healthy chickens will lay about 5–6 eggs per week. This can be interrupted by natural pauses such as broodiness (a hormonal mothering instinct that can set in for a few weeks), molting (renewing feathers), or jsut being under the weather.
Buying
You can find hens for sale on Craigslist by farmers in the Fraser Valley or you can take a day and attend the Fraser Valley Auction. You can also join Village Vancouver to see postings from local members on chickens for sale, feed runs, advice etc…
When going away on holidays you will need to have someone take care of your hens. Duncan suggests getting your neighbour to provide clean food and water in exchange for the eggs collected while away.
Duncan brought two pullet chickens with him for the workshop. They are around 6 months old which is the best time to purchase them. If you get chicks you won’t know if you have hens or roosters!
To learn more about raising chickens in your backyard or to purchase a Vancooper you can contact Duncan Martin at 604–329-3863 and visit his website www.dailyeggs.com
Grow will act as a public forum, teaching tool and creative laboratory for ecological and social sustainability practices. The objective of this program is to explore Vancouver’s expanding identity as a sustainable city through the site of South East False Creek.
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What a fun day. Thanks for inviting me down to the site Holly. It was great meeting you and Elisa, and your post is a nice concise resource for would-be chicken owners.