Family in Oliver wants to raise urban ducks, instead of chickens
A local family’s flock of ducks has created quite a regulatory quack-mire in Oliver. Melissa Graham has been raising 10 birds at her family’s home since June, when they arrived as fertilized eggs from a duck farm.
She and her husband, Rob, had for years been considering raising chickens to help feed them and their four kids, who typically go through five or six dozen eggs in a month.
They finally decided to act on their concerns about food security after their local grocery store limited customers to one carton of eggs per visit during the early days of the pandemic.
But chickens didn’t seem to be a good fit for the family because they peck and scratch, explained Graham, who instead decided to research the possibility of following in the tracks of some friends who raise ducks.
“Just about every article that popped up was more in favour of ducks than chickens, and outlining what they’re better at,” said Graham.
To start with: Duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs; the whites are denser and provide more lift to baked goods, and the yolks contain more omega-3 fatty acids.
“And they produce 20 pounds more eggs than chickens do in a year,” added Graham.
As added benefits, ducks have lower mortality rates and higher disease resistance, and their waste can be used to fertilize gardens immediately, unlike chicken poop, which needs to rot for a year to kill pathogens.
Satisfied that ducks were the right choice, Graham then checked the Town of Oliver’s bylaws to see if the birds were mentioned there. Finding no mention of any birds besides backyard chickens, she decided to follow those same guidelines for keeping her ducks, which are a domesticated, medium-sized breed called Cayuga.
However, at least one person disagreed with Graham’s interpretation of the bylaws and complained to the town, and the issue landed with council at its meeting Monday night.
Randy Houle, the town’s director of development service, noted Oliver’s animal control bylaw specifically bans feeding of ducks and other wildfowl within town limits, so an amendment would be required for the Graham’s birds, which live in an outdoor enclosure.
“At this time, staff are a little hesitant about permitting ducks, just given the lack of knowledge of the impacts on the urban environment, and also because they’re not permitted by any of the nearby municipalities,” said Houle.
Houle suggested council, if it wished to allow backyard ducks, follow the example set by communities like Nanaimo and Salmon Arm, which treat the birds the same as chickens.
Coun. Dave Mattes warned, though, that Graham’s ducks could be “the thin end of the wedge.”
“If we receive a request for emus and ostriches in town because they have larger eggs and they’re quiet, would we be considering that?” Mattes asked.
Other councillors were less concerned about setting precedent, but did vote in favour of getting more information from staff before making a final decision. In the meantime, the town will turn a blind eye to Graham’s flock.
“It sounds like ducks are less bothersome that chickens would be,” said Coun. Petra Veintimilla, who advocated in favour of the approach.
“I’ve got neighbours on all sides of me and behind me that have chickens in their yard, and they’re not really offending anyone too much at any time of the day.”