Delta council has given final approval for a bylaw amendment to permit residents to have backyard chickens in single-family neighbourhoods.
It’s a pilot project and the city will review the program in a year.
The bylaw amendment removed a previous requirement of properties having chickens being located next to agriculturally-zoned properties.
No minimum lot size is required.
Roosters are prohibited and the number of hens permitted on a property is restricted to four.
Hens will also be required to be licensed with the city and registered with the province through the Premises ID Program to assist with tracking of birds during any future disease outbreaks.
The bylaw also requires food and manure to be removed so as to reduce smell and pest impacts.
Coops and runs are limited to a maximum of 108 square feet of combined indoor and outdoor space.
Chickens are also to be kept for personal use and shall not be kept for the purposes of selling meat, eggs or other products.
