St. Albert hen owners will be allowed to own up to six hens at the end of May after council voted to amend its bylaw last Tuesday.
Council unanimously passed a motion from Coun. Jacquie Hansen, brought forward by Coun. Ken MacKay in her absence, to change the number of backyard hens permitted from four to six after hearing from residents concerned about the health of their flocks.
The four-bird cap makes it extremely difficult to keep a flock healthy, Alexandra Taphorn, 9, told council last month. A flock of four would drop to three after a death, endangering the group, as the hens would not produce enough body heat to survive winter. Introducing just one new hen could result in bullying and injuries from the other three, which is what happened to Alexandra's hen Marshmallow.
"Obviously I can't beat Alexandra and Marshmallow," MacKay said in his opening comments. "We got the support of administration in moving up to six (hens), so I support administration and I support the residents who maintain flocks."
Coun. Wes Brodhead said he had anticipated significant feedback from the community on the hen bylaw when it first passed, but he's only heard positive feedback so far. "Certainly this will help the various hen owners do what is right by their flock."
The amendment will take affect on May 31.
