Media query - Are people turning "their hens into SPCA's in large numbers and other animal shelters in large numbers" across North America"?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Laura Arp on July 14, 2013 at 9:32am

Hi Ross - This sounds very odd to me - and I have certainly not heard of ANYONE doing this.
If you did end up not wanting to keep chickens anymore there are so many better options to handle it (gifting the chickens to a new family, taking them back to the farm you got them from (we did this with ours that turned out to be a rooster) or even just putting it in a pot (we don't eat meat but many others do).
Would be interested in other responses. Have a great day! Laura

Permalink Reply by stephanie st loe on July 14, 2013 at 10:55am

You could always contact the SPCA and animal shelters directly to get actual numbers. The numbers of hens surrendered to shelters will natually be higher than before chickens were allowed in Vancouver and no one had any-that's not an upward trend-the numer of chickens surrendered likely corresponds to the increasing number of backyard coops-the city has stats on that too with the voluntary registration system. Personally I would like the city to increase the maximum number of hens from 4 to 8 so I can provide my hens with a retirement plan and get some younger hens so I can still have eggs. Right now with the 4 hen limit I will be forced to choose between euthenizing them at less than half their natural lifespan or going without eggs.

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Imhoff on July 14, 2013 at 11:02am

Hi Ross,
I'm not sure what the current situation is, but when we were doing our research for North Vancouver, we called the animal shelters in Vancouver and Saanich. If I remember correctly, Saanich had had none and Vancouver had had 3 or 4 that year. None of them were turned in, they were all found roaming. Anyway, I would suggest just calling around to inquire.

Its true there are some great resources here for passing on hens when you can no longer keep them or no longer want to. Village Vancouver, Craigslist and CLUCK are great places to find new owners for your hens. We are also lucky to be situated relatively closely to agricultural areas which provide additional options like farms, auctions, clubs and small slaughter houses (since not everyone can diy slaughter). Vets will generally only euthanize if the animal is actually hurt or ill.

Of course, there are many reasons people might relinquish their hens to an SPCA, but I would suspect being caught with illegal hens and having to get rid of them quickly is at the top of the list. If you live in a city that doesn't allow hens, then finding other people to take them on isn't likely. And if agriculture is located a long distance away, options start to get pretty limited.

Urban hens are wonderful! I certainly love mine, and I would recommend it highly! But I would advise assessing and addressing local bylaws before you jump in. And if you are choosing the route of civil disobedience, explore your options for getting rid of them before you have to do so under pressure.

Just my two cents anyway!
Stephanie

Permalink Reply by Alyssa K on July 14, 2013 at 12:42pm

I agree with Laura - I haven't heard of anyone turning their chickens in to the SPCA. This is the last option I'd recommend to anyone who needed to re-home chickens. I'd ask the reporter "what cities?" and where did he or she get that information?

Permalink Reply by Alyssa K on July 14, 2013 at 12:48pm

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/07/10/200699728/hipsters-off-...

Permalink Reply by Duncan Martin on July 18, 2013 at 9:57am

I also got a call from the CTV reporter and suggested to her that between VV and other neighbourhood connections (even craigslist), Vancouver's chicken keepers have been pretty good at finding homes for chickens when the issue comes up. It might just be another case of media needing to find a controversial "hook" in order to get a good headline. There was one giant cover photo in the Metro or 24 daily paper a while back showing a picture of one unwanted hen at the SPCA, but then the article was all about how this is an anomaly.

I had no trouble getting rid of a rooster recently by simply putting it on craigslist. I even got $10 for it! Someone from Mission came by to pick him up and use him as a stud. Now he's the cock of the walk on some acreage, fathering one Rhode Island Red after another.

I know I've muttered this before and not acted to change it, but...
It's too bad that the stew pot isn't a legal option in Vancouver. Given that it can be done very discretely and humanely -- and slaughter for personal use is allowed without license in almost any rural area -- I don't see why our bylaw needs to prevent people from turning their birds to meat. It seems to me that it's the final link in an ages-old food system that can just as easily be carried out by city dwellers as it can by someone in Langley. It allows hens to live a free-range life full of table scraps and grubs, and gives us full control over the meat that we consume (and we're only talking once or twice a year).