Urban chickens: not always a pleasant affair

Raising chickens in Vancouver became legal more than six months ago, but the issue is still subject to much gossip.

The Globe and Mail’s Gary Mason had a humorous column in the paper yesterday that brought to light some of the lesser-known aspect of poultry-raising.

I also wonder how the lawyer-by-day/chicken-owner-by-night is going to handle certain situations. Like when an egg gets stuck coming out. It happens, not infrequently. And when it does, you have to stick your hand in there and get it.

It’s also not uncommon for a hen’s vents to collapse. A vent is the external opening at the bottom of the bird’s vaginal canal. To fix the problem, you’re supposed to moisten your fingers (hemorrhoid cream is the lubricant of choice) and move the vent back into place. I can see hockey dads and soccer moms throughout the city just dying to snap on the rubber gloves to perform that little procedure.

More realistically, I imagine the offices of veterinarians being overrun with city folk having chicken problems. Urban dwellers and their children are going to become attached to these creatures. When the little birds are feeling under the weather, Vancouverites will spend thousands to get the problem diagnosed.

Urban farming might be trendy, but it’s still farming, and therefore not always glamorous. On the other hand, going chicken-feeding at my grandparents’ farm was one of the greatest and funniest activities I could think of as a little girl. Being awaken by the rooster at 6a.m., however, was not (but roosters are forbidden in Vancouver.)

British company Omlet sells cute and practical chicken coops for the urban poultry. www.omlet.co.uk