OLDS — Council has postponed final approval of two bylaws that would govern the raising of chickens in town.
Councillors agreed that amendments to the town’s land use and community standards bylaw will come up for third reading (final approval) during a later council meeting. That could be as early as council’s April 26 meeting.
That decision was made during council’s April 12 meeting after close to three hours of discussion, which included an extensive public hearing on the matter.
The idea behind that decision is to give councillors one more opportunity to look over changes to the bylaws and make sure there are no conflicts between them. Also, that they actually state what councillors had agreed to.
During the public hearing, several people spoke in favour of allowing chickens to be raised in Olds and others spoke against it.
Natasha Wright of Parkland Community Planning Services also read several letters for and against chicken-raising in Olds into the record.
Several councillors agreed there should be a grace period – until Jan. 1, 2023 – for existing chicken raisers to ensure their facilities and practices are in line with the bylaws. They would also have to obtain a chicken-raising licence from the town.
A suggestion was also made that if those existing chicken raisers stop doing so or if their property is sold, then the operation could no longer be grandfathered.
Most councillors indicated they were OK with selling eggs raised by urban chicken operations but not selling other products like meat or manure.
Councillors noted that one speaker during the public hearing had expressed concern about a chicken getting out of its pen and running loose down the street. It was caught and returned safely.
"I think they need to be contained," Coun. Heather Ryan said. “I would hate to see a chicken get loose and get run over; then there would be even more problems.”
Coun. Wanda Blatz echoed that concern.
“Yes, there was a rogue chicken in the area. It was caught. Luckily enough nothing happened and it didn’t attract any type of animals hunting it, but I mean, how do we police this?” said Blatz.
Senior peace officer Eric Christensen said since he’s been in town he’s only received two complaints about chickens running at large. He came to Olds in October, 2019.
In the end, councillors agreed the wording the bylaw is sufficient to deal with that.
It read that a person who keeps urban hens must “keep each urban hen in a coop or pen at all times,” and that they “shall not be free-range in the yard.”
