Learn the rules for backyard chickens, and register your chickens with the City

As part of City efforts to help you get involved in your own food production, you can now keep chickens in your backyard.

There are several important rules you need to comply with in order to keep your backyard chicken coop from being a nuisance for your neighbours:

• A maximum of 4 hens (no roosters), 4 months or older, per lot is allowed
• Ducks, turkeys, or other fowl or livestock (such as goats) are not allowed
• Eggs, meat, and manure cannot be used for commercial purposes
• Backyard slaughtering is not allowed

Steps to keeping backyard hens

There are three steps to follow if you want to keep chickens in your backyard:

1. Review the City bylaws.
2. Learn how to care for hens.
3. Register your hens with the City.

Step 1: Review the City bylaws

The City bylaws explain all of the rules and requirements for keeping backyard hens, including the size and location of your coop, and other important details.

These bylaws both protect the health of people living in the area, and ensure the hens are treated humanely:

• Animal Control Bylaw
• Guidelines for Keeping of Backyard Hens  (225 KB)
• Zoning and Development Bylaw (Section 10.18.2)  (154 KB)

Step 2: Learn how to care for hens

Next, you should read the following basic hen care documents before getting your hens:

• How to prevent and detect disease in backyard flocks and pet birds
• Basic hen care and chicken coop design requirements
• Humane considerations for backyard hens
• Resources for backyard hen owners

Step 3: Register your hens with the City

After you review the basic care documents and zoning regulations - and you build your coop - you can go ahead and purchase your hens.

Once the hens are purchased, you need to register your hens with the City. Registration is free, and you can do it online.

Register your hens