Stinky, noisy health hazards that, when they aren’t spreading feces, attract vermin.

Hens in Toronto backyards were going to be all of those things, some city councillors had warned, despite pleas from residents, including hen-owning children, that they could be great, clean egg-laying pets.

After refusing to join the urban farming trend embraced by other cities, and threatening chicken owners with fines, Toronto leaders relented with a four-year pilot project that temporarily legalized hen ownership in four wards, under strict conditions.

Now, almost halfway through the experiment that ends in March 2021, city staff say none of the predicted blights have materialized. The predicted chorus of neighbour complaints? Not a peep.

“There aren’t any complaints about noise or unsanitary conditions in any of these locations,” with registered hens, says Carl Bandow, who oversees the pilot project for Toronto animal services.

“We’ve made a couple of educational visits, about coop sizes, but everything seems to be going smoothly.”

Sixty homes with a total of 182 hens are registered in areas with the boundaries of four wards before the Ontario government cut the size of Toronto council — Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Parkdale-High Park, St. Paul’s and Beaches-East York.

Owners must: have no roosters, which are noisy; a maximum four hens; not raise birds for meat or for eggs to sell; and have adequately sized, lockable coops with roofs and nest boxes. They also must let the city inspect their setup.

“I don’t think there is any appetite for backyard chickens,” then-councillor Cesar Palacio declared in 2012, when he oversaw the committee that decrees which animals can legally be pets in Toronto. He predicted big multi-unit coops and possible animal abuse.

His colleague Joe Mihevc disagreed and pushed for approval of the pilot. Now off council, Mihevc owns four Rhode Island reds in his backyard near Christie Street and St. Clair Avenue West.

“All my neighbours know that I’m the chicken dude,” Mihevc says with a laugh.

“Little kids on the street ask me about the chickens, they go in and hug the chickens. People can go in the yard and visit, I say, ‘It’s fine if you want to hang out and if you see an egg, go ahead and take it.’”

He bought each hen for $12 in St. Jacob’s, Ont., and figures, after feed and other expenses, he is paying about $1 per dozen home-laid eggs.

He often cooks visitors two eggs — one laid on site, another from a factory-farmed chicken via a store — and challenges them to guess which is which. They invariably prefer the backyard egg, Mihevc, says. The smaller, more orange eggs from hens with better lives are “meatier” and tastier, he says.

The animals are work. He has to clean out the waste, which makes good fertilizer. Hens need to be let out of the coop to wander and ushered back in. During winter you must frequently replace water that can quickly freeze. Food needs to be secured or rats will start visiting.

But the many benefits, he says, includes the fact hens will eat food scraps. Instead of complaining, neighbours and their kids ask for visits and eggs.

“People love their chickens, I’m telling you,” Mihevc says. “They are great community builders.”

While the pilot project envisions residents owning the birds, some people rent hens and coops just for the warm months. A company called Rent the Chicken reports seasonal delivery of about 125 hens to the GTA, three-quarters of them roosting in Toronto.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Rhonda Teitel-Payne of Toronto Urban Growers led about 20 people on a tour of two backyard coops, including Mihevc’s. She hopes to lead tours in the three other pilot-project zones in 2020 and is working on a photo essay, based on the tour, for the group’s website.

People curious about city hen-keeping asked for the visits to hear directly from experienced owners.

“I hope that there will be enough evidence gathered that hens will be allowed citywide” after the pilot project ends, Teitel-Payne told the Star.

“I’d like to see more trials of keeping chickens in places beyond backyards, such as in community gardens or schools, so that people who don’t have backyard space can benefit from hens as well.”

City staff confirm hen owners identified outside the four pilot project zones continue to be ordered to get rid of the birds, and fined if they refuse.

Lorraine Johnson, author of books including “City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing,” is also hopeful more neighbourhoods will get lawful backyard hens.

“The sky has not fallen in,” she says. “We’ve proven what is clear from many other North American cities — it’s quite possible to have backyard hens in an urban situation and have virtually no impact on your neighbours.

“It’s something people can do in a safe way that is healthy for the hens, provides good food and educational opportunities for kids on where their food comes from.”

She voluntarily co-hosted seminars in each of the pilot zones to educate potential hen owners and hopes, if the city moves forward, the city itself will provide such hands-on education.

Johnson expects feathers to again fly, however, when city staff write a report and new recommendations based on Toronto’s first urban hen experiment.

“People love a good chicken debate, they really do,” she said. “Luckily, next time we’ll have informed politicians and staff who can evaluate how the pilot went, and a more informed debate.

“Some folks would like to see (permissions) expanded to other animals. I say ‘One step at a time. Let’s get our backyard chickens in a row and then see where it goes.’”