For many backyard farmers, residential chicken coops are a great idea just waiting to hatch.
In her family home on the edge of a regional park in Vancouver, Ann Pacey has spent the last two years raising hens and scrambling eggs with her neighbour.
"We decided we'd go in together and we built the coop at my place, but we share the responsibilities and we also share the eggs," she says.
Pacey is on the board of directors of Village Vancouver, a group that has promoted local agriculture and advocated for backyard chickens to be permitted on the North Shore.
The District of West Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver prohibit backyard poultry.
The City of North Vancouver is currently considering letting backyard farmers spread their wings after the idea received strong support at a council meeting last April.
Backyard chickens are a kinder alternative to the factory-farmed birds in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, according to Pacey.
"They're all kept in these huge sheds and that's not the way animals are happy," she says.
For the price of $15 Pacey buys a sack of feed that nourishes her four chickens for two months, and the eggs, she says, have been delicious.
"They smell different, they taste different. They've got a really bright yellow yolk, and they're significantly healthier because the chickens are moving around and they're eating natural foods. And they're happier, they're not under stress."
The chickens get regular exercise, which leads to a higher percentage of omega 3 fatty acids in the eggs, according to Pacey.
"If you can let them into the grass for awhile and let them peck and scratch and do their chicken things then they're much healthier, happier birds," she says.
That regimen combined with nutritious feed, which sometimes includes plate scrapings, has resulted in many delectable Spanish omlettes, according to Pacey.
Wildlife experts have warned that backyard agriculture can serve as an attractant for bears, but Pacey says the problem can be avoided with a 360-degree enclosure.
"We're right next to Pacific Spirit Park, and there's coyotes and raccoons and eagles. We don't have bears, but really, if you build your coop safe enough, you can get around most predators."
Pacey's hens each have individual personalities and charms, she said.
"They're really interested and curious. I can't say they're clever, but they're fun," she says.
For Pacey, maintaining chickens also means taking an active step towards sustainable, local agriculture.
"I don't think we really have an appreciation for how fragile our global food network is," she says.
