Article content

Backyard chicken coops — banned in Ottawa — are taking off in Gatineau, where the city proposes to expand its small experiment in urban farming to allow coops for 200 homes.

The expansion, still to be approved by council, would allow up to three hens per home — but no roosters because the neighbours may wish to sleep. Gatineau also proposes 50 licences for beehives. Commercial production is not allowed.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Urban chickens (banned in Ottawa) are flocking to Gatineau Back to video

So far, the reviews from Phase 1 are good.

Carmen and Matthew Chase of the Touraine neighbourhood have one of the 50 coops approved in Gatineau’s first round. She’s a supply teacher and he’s a structural engineer (which was helpful in coop-building), and they have three Red Star hens, acquired in September at the age where they were beginning to lay.

“We are both very avid gardeners. For me, it was I guess an extension of the gardening and being more sustainable,” Carmen said.

The egg-laying works well, she said: “The coop had a light on, so they had fake daylight during the winter. Winter was a little bit bleak but now, most of the time, they are all laying. So three (eggs) most days. Sometimes two but mostly three, especially now that it’s springtime.”