I have some questions and comments about chickens in the backyard.
Where will all the chicken manure go? It smells. Chickens and their food will attract rats very quickly, also mink and other predators.
Chickens can be hosts to fleas - I have personally experienced that.
Will the cost of set up and maintaining just a few hens really pay off?
I think these are issues that need serious thought. What do you do with a sick or old hen, or one that has prolapsed?
If raising chickens is what you want to do, then perhaps buying a few acres in the country would make more sense. Then you can also grow your own vegetables and have a goat.
I am sure I am not alone when I say I would not like to be sitting in the garden on a summer’s day and having to inhale the smell from an ill-kept chicken coop.
I think the chicken issue needs to be thought through more carefully.
Gail Courtice
Parksville