Enough clucking around; District of Squamish officials want to gauge residents' interest in developing a community chicken co-op.
The domestic egg-laying critters have feathered council's agendas for the past three years. As urban agriculture grows in popularity, the municipality is under pressure to allow chickens into residents' backyards. But unlike communities such as Vancouver, Squamish is also home to bears and coyotes.
Last year, officials moved to eliminate chickens and miniature farm animals from people's lawns. Two months later, the subject was back on the table after a 4-3 vote requested community dialogue on the issue before potentially bringing it back for another look.
Since then municipal staff have incubated an idea to create a community chicken co-op. Now municipal officials are looking to the public to hatch it.
While urban agriculture is about much more than chickens, there's an interest in the community in raising the animals for food security, access to free-range eggs and educational purposes, Mayor Rob Kirkham said in a statement.
"A community co-op could achieve these goals while maintaining our ability to minimize wildlife conflicts," he said.
Residents' input into the logistics of how a chicken co-op concept could be executed is an important part of the solution, Kirkham said. On Tuesday (Nov. 12), the municipality launched a online survey regarding the proposal. The questionnaire will be open until Thursday, Dec. 12.
District staff's proposal would see the chicken co-op on an appropriately zoned property, in a controlled environment and cared for by a committed group of citizens.
The survey can found at www.squamish.ca/survey.
