Breakfast may soon be the overwhelming favourite meal for people living in Chatham-Kent.
That’s because CK council has approved a two-year pilot project for backyard chickens, giving residents the chance to have their own fresh eggs.
Mayor Darrin Canniff and Councillors John Wright, Anthony Ceccacci, and Carmen McGregor all voted against, while Councillor Jamie McGrail didn't vote and Councillor Amy Finn wasn't in attendance.
Only those living in rural residential and village residential zones will be able to take part, meaning people living in Chatham and Wallaceburg are not allowed their own chickens. People in Erieau also can't take part after Ceccacci asked for the community to be left out due to the high number of tourists who visit the area.
"We can see where we did well and didn't do well and can revisit it in two years," said Councillor Rhonda Jubenville.
There are several rules people will have to follow. This includes chickens having to stay on the owner’s property, setting up a coop if the property isn’t fenced, having coops being a certain distance from property lines and neighbouring homes, all feed being stored in a rodent proof container, and no roosters.
People caught not following these rules can be fined anywhere between $100 and $400.
The maximum number of chickens allowed per property is 10 with people caught with more looking at a $200 fine.
Before anyone goes out and purchases their own chickens, they must apply and be approved by the municipality. A bylaw officer will stop by to inspect the property and coop. The owner must also sign a document stating they’ve reviewed educational material from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
Those who’ll need to build a coop will need a building permit if its bigger than 10 square metres.
Meanwhile, there were concerns brought up by members of CK council.
Canniff and Wright both expressed health issues, specifically if the chickens get a disease.
"If something happens in [a poultry farmer's] farm, they have to go through quarantine. If someone has six chickens in their backyard and they get a disease... they would deal with it in their own way," explained Canniff.
He also noted coops won't be inspected like poultry farms.