Nine members of Toronto’s backyard-chicken underground on the special bond between man and bird

By Signe Langford | Photographs by Kevin Hewitt

On November 30, councillors Joe Mihevc and Mary-Margaret McMahon took on the considerable challenge of trying to overturn nearly three decades of city hall opposition to backyard hens. They didn’t quite succeed. (Their motion to study the issue was referred to the municipal licensing and standards committee for consideration in February.) With his trademark zeal for kindergarten humour, Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti opined, “Now we’re going to have thousands of chickens crossing the road and we’re going to have neighbours fighting against neighbours because they don’t want to hit the chickens.” But what Mammoliti and his ilk don’t understand is that urban hen keeping didn’t really go away when it was outlawed in 1983. It just went underground—into garages, sheds and secluded corners of backyards. The hopes of these renegade urban hen keepers are now running high, riding Toronto’s ever-growing wave of locavorism. Here, nine of those rebels, who break the law every day, talk about that other love that dare not speak its name: that between man and hen.

First up, Jill and Sunshine »

Jill, with Sunshine

Little Italy Hen keeper since 2009

Our chickens are great pets and garden companions, and they provide us with beautiful eggs. It’s a nice feeling to see a basket of multicoloured eggs in your kitchen that you raised yourself from a few very happy hens. It’s been a great learning experience for our kids, as well as their friends. We have even held class tours to show them that you don’t need to live on a farm to be able to grow your own vegetables and have a few chickens. It’s about being self-sufficient and having some control over where your food comes from. Our “urban farm” doesn’t smell like a barnyard, nor is it noisy. We’ve had no complaints from neighbours—only full support.

Kevin, with Jenny

Little Italy Hen keeper since 2009

The way some people go off about chickens in the city, you’d think the sky is falling. Get to know a bird like Jenny here. She’ll change your mind.

Ziggy, with Helen

Leslieville Hen keeper since 2011

I love my girls! My neighbours love them and their kids love them. They were “spent hens” from a factory, destined for the landfill, but a kind soul rescued them and I adopted them. They are hilarious to watch, cuddly, full of personality—and the eggs are beyond spectacular. These are the eggs of Escoffier’s dreams.

SB

North York Hen keeper since 2010

I got chickens because: 1) I enjoy fresh eggs; 2) it’s educational for my kids; and 3) they eat garden and kitchen waste, then supply me with poop that makes great compost for my garden.

Troy

North York Hen keeper since 2011

I keep hens because eggs are an important part of my nutrition. And yes, my hens’ yolks have more colour, and yes, I have more than I need—I give some to my ex-wife or friends on a regular basis. I don’t keep chickens for the thrill of it, but for the eggs from happy chickens that are 100 per cent organic. As for the neighbours, they all come to visit my hens often!

Toronto Chicken, with Licorice

Forest Hill Hen keeper since 2007

I love my pets with benefits, and my neighbours are great about them! I control what goes in; therefore, I control what comes out. In addition to tasting and looking so much better, my eggs have twice the Omega-3 fatty acids, two-thirds more vitamin A, three times more vitamin E and seven times more beta carotene than conventional eggs. I have the comfort of knowing that my hens are leading a happy life while supplying our family with the best food possible. And the poop is a valuable addition to my compost bin—I use it to grow vegetables!

Sima, with Fatty

West Toronto Hen keeper since 2011

My fellow tenants and I have had the girls for about four months now; we adopted them from someone who was moving and needed to find a home for them. We thought it would be a temporary situation, but now we can’t imagine not having them around. They are the funniest pets—I could sit there for hours watching them scratch away for their meals or chase after each other! And the biggest bonus is the eggs or, as my partner likes to call them, “gold bullion.” They’re fresh, delicious and uber-local; I’m not sure I could ever go back to store-bought again.

Justin, with Rufus

Christie Pits Hen keeper since 2011

At first we had the perfect secret backyard-chicken set-up, with a fully treed-in lot. That changed when we moved into a home with a wide-open backyard in the Christie Pits area. Since the move, our experience and that of the hens has completely changed. Now we have elderly neighbours coming by and telling us that it reminds them of their early life on the farm and younger neighbours foraging for greens to feed the hens.

Kevin

West Toronto Hen keeper since 2011

Kevin is currently biking through Laos, but his neighbours assure us they’re happy to look after his ladies when he’s away.