Are the days numbered for Frank the Shrewsbury Chicken?
A weather predicting chicken is at the centre of a renewed debate on backyard chickens in Chatham-Kent ahead of this year’s Groundhog Day.
For last six years on the Saturday that follows Feb. 2, “Frank the Shrewbury Chicken” has perfectly predicted the arrival of spring along with owner Mark Wright.
“It’s serious of course, yes, for me anyway,” Wright said. “And Frank's demise could be coming along soon too you know.”
An emotional Wright said he has until Feb. 11 to find new living arrangements for Frank and his other chickens after local bylaw enforcement informed him he couldn’t keep the birds in his backyard pen.
“I have been served to cease and desist,” Wright said. “But I can't sell them right now because of the Avian Flu. You can't take him to an auction or you can't take him to a slaughterhouse, which I wouldn't do anyways because I couldn't see my pets killed.”
Wright said he and Frank still plan to put on their prognosticating performance on Saturday, Feb. 4 while municipal council discusses the matter next week.
Franks the Shrewsbury chicken in Shrewsbury, Ont. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
“I've had these chickens around here for 22 years. I never knew there was any kind of a bylaw,” Wright told CTV News. “There is a petition from the residents in my favor, being forwarded to the council and administration now that Chatham-Kent is doing a survey to find out how people feel about having backyard chickens.“
Earlier this month, South-Kent Coun. Anthony Ceccacci put forward a motion for discussion and a vote at the next council meeting asking for a community survey to be conducted regarding backyard chickens.
Several petitions have started circulating in support.
“Just looking for community feedback,” Ceccacci said. “Obviously, there's been a lot of talk about backyard chickens in our in our area. Considering a lot of urban, more urban centers have looked at that direction. I think it's important to look at what other communities are doing and look at what our community thinks.”
Shrewsbury, Ont. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2022. (Chris Campbell
Meantime, staff have been asked to make a report on the topic that’s due back in May.
The previous council voted not to legalize backyard chickens in 2020.
“I do definitely understand people's concerns, but I think we got it a little wrong the last time,” Ceccacci explained, “We just sat around the council table and kind of made a decision. I think it's important to look at that community feedback, get what the people think and look at what our surrounding areas are doing and kind of go from there.”
Ceccacci noted the rising cost of food and demand for more sustainable living has increased interest across the municipality regarding backyard chickens.
“Talking to some councillors, I think that the appetite might be a little bit different this time through. But I think it's also important to go through the feedback and the process, because at the end of the day when you're changing bylaws, there could be costs associated with changing things and I think it's important we look at everything as a whole.”
The next municipal council meeting is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.