Hatching a scheme to gather sa国际传媒渇reesa国际传媒� eggs with backyard chickens costs time and money and isnsa国际传媒檛 for everyone.

In theory, itsa国际传媒檚 possible to save money having backyard hens, but gathering eggs shouldnsa国际传媒檛 be a main motivator, says the farm animal manager for the BC SPCA.

sa国际传媒淚f yousa国际传媒檙e looking for a companion animal that has a bonus of making eggs, hens are awesome,sa国际传媒� Melissa Speirs said.

A spike in abandoned chickens, primarily the noisy males, hit a high in mid-2020 when folks found themselves at home more and filling the days with new endeavours. The issue is on a slow decline since, according to the BC SPCA.

Each municipality has its own rules around the legality of urban chickens, how many, enclosure types and other care. In general, roosters are frequently prohibited from urban coops.

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When purchasing chicks, folks didnsa国际传媒檛 know or just didnsa国际传媒檛 ask about a rooster return policy. Hens and roosters look similar as chicks and even experienced breeders can mistake them. Some businesses will take a bird back if it turns out to be male. Other times, roosters are ditched or surrendered to agencies such as the SPCA, to adopt out.

sa国际传媒淭here are homes out there for roosters, itsa国际传媒檚 just a little more tricky than with hens,sa国际传媒� Speirs said.

Full brood drop-offs or surrenders are not common, but do occur, Speirs said. While itsa国际传媒檚 hard to know why, potentially people werensa国际传媒檛 prepared for the work involved. Unlike cats and dogs, there arensa国际传媒檛 a lot of resources when one is overwhelmed with poultry.

sa国际传媒淗aving backyard hens is a lot of work,sa国际传媒� Speirs said.

Theresa国际传媒檚 more to hens than just eggs. They create incredible fertilizer, can keep pests at bay and make good companions.

But theysa国际传媒檙e not easy sa国际传媒� and itsa国际传媒檚 an investment.

Anyone looking into backyard birds should learn about how to house them. That means a coop and fencing to allow them a grassy or dirt area to stretch their wings. It means finding a veterinarian sa国际传媒� again that deals in animals other than traditional pets sa国际传媒� and appropriate feed.

sa国际传媒淵ou cansa国际传媒檛 just give them scraps from the kitchen, they do need feed to make sure theresa国际传媒檚 a balanced diet,sa国际传媒� Speirs said. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 not something I would jump into without doing some research.sa国际传媒�

Hens can live for five to 11 years, with egg-laying diminishing significantly after the first year. Chickens may stop producing well before their natural end of life and like any older animal, may require special care.

christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca

christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca
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