Stewiacke property bylaw ruffles feathers of chicken keepers

A Stewiacke resident wants the town council to change a bylaw she says has people who raise chickens walking on eggshells. 

Two weeks ago, Lynann Wamboldt received notice that she had 15 days to remove the 10 chickens she keeps on her property because they contravene a town bylaw.

The bylaw requires that anyone keeping chickens must have a property of at least one acre (0.4 hectares) and can have no more than five chickens on the property.

"The panic kind of set in for everyone when they found out. And we thought, OK, maybe we should start some action and see if we can maybe start talking with council and see if we can change to match what we have in HRM and Digby County and Chester areas," said Wamboldt. 

In the Halifax Regional Municipality, residents on land amounting to less than an acre are allowed to have up to 10 chickens.

Wamboldt has started a petition seeking support for a new bylaw she intends to propose to council that emulates HRM's rules.

Marc Seguin, Stewiacke's chief administrative officer, says council will respond to complaints about the bylaw at its meeting on Thursday. 

He said the town doesn't actively seek to enforce the bylaw but in this situation was responding to a noise complaint about a rooster on Wamboldt's property. Roosters are not permitted according to the bylaw.

But other chicken keepers in Stewiacke who live on small properties are concerned. 

"I think it's quite silly, actually. When I heard that Lynann was starting a petition, I was very excited to go out in the community and get as many signatures as we could," said Amber Ratté, who also raises chickens in Stewiacke on a lot that's less than 0.4 hectares. 

Ratté said tending to her chickens brings her and her neighbours a lot of happiness, as she shares the eggs they produce. 

"They're my favourite part of my day," she said. "Currently my husband's away on deployment and they really keep me company and they keep my son engaged and they just are very educational." 

Wamboldt shares her passion for poultry and wants to continue what she's doing in the community as well. 

"I sell the eggs to co-workers, I gift them to families in need. If I know that someone's having a tough time, I may show up at their door and surprise them with a dozen of eggs and have that conversation starter," she said. 

Wamboldt said she hopes her proposal to council will start productive conversations.

But as the 15-day deadline to remove her chickens looms this week, she said her options are limited. 

"I don't want to euthanize my animals. I've had them for over four years. Some of them are older and no longer laying and I'm just giving them this place to live until their time comes."