They Roost Among Us: A Look at the Underground Urban Hen Movement
They Roost Among Us: A Look at the Underground Urban Hen Movement - the Globe and Mail
For years, the city’s chicken keepers have dabbled in a pastime of murky legality. In January, city council indefinitely deferred a vote that could have allowed residents to keep “backyard hens.” In practical terms, this means that the birds’ keepers - who include both Old Country and newly minted local-food fanatics - fly under the radar, unless their neighbours choose to squawk.
On Tuesday, a new documentary/mockumentary, Crackdown (tagline: “Where chickens are outlawed, only outlaws have chickens”), will screen at the University of Toronto, followed by a discussion with panelists that include city councillor Joe Mihevc and an “Anonymous Toronto Chicken Keeper.”
The Globe and Mail spoke to one such keeper, a west-end resident who shall remain nameless.
When did you first get your urban hens?