Backyard chicken ban lifted in Lake Country

District moves to change rules prohibiting backyard chickens, but ban on roosters will stay

Anyone who wants to raise chickens in Lake Country might want to get cracking.

A moratorium has been approved by council on the enforcement of current regulations that prohibit people having chickens in their backyards.

Town council approved the moratorium and also directed staff to review all the policies surrounding backyard chickens, and to suggest ways in which the rules might be changed.

But a prohibition against having roosters in urban areas remains in place.

“Roosters are much noisier than chickens, and they can’t tell time very well so some of them start crowing even before the sun comes up,” said Coun. Bill Scarrow, who proposed the town’s review of its chickenrelated bylaws.

The moratorium and call for review was passed unanimously by Lake Country council members at their Tuesday night meeting.

Scarrow said he raised the twin issues after being approached by a number of townsfolk.

“Chickens are allowed in urban areas in a lot of different places around B.C.,” Scarrow said.

Given Lake Country’s semirural character, Scarrow believes backyard chickens could be permitted in many areas without arousing too much opposition from neighbours.

But there are likely to be a few areas with higher-density housing in which backyard chickens would present too many conflicts, Scarrow said.

In Vernon, city residents can keep up to four backyard chickens in urban neighbourhoods. In Penticton, people living in singlefamily homes can keep up to five hens in their backyards. Regulations include placement of the henhouse so it’s not visible from the street.

It’s not known when staff will report back to council on the issue.