Residents in Tecumseh may soon be able to have chickens in their yards.
Council agreed on Tuesday to consider an interim control bylaw that if approved -- would allow residents in the town up to 12 chickens in their backyard for two years.
Mayor Gary McNamara says they want to make sure anyone with urban chickens abides by town property standards.
Councillor Rita Ossington tells AM800 News urban chickens are becoming a popular trend across North America.
"People who raise urban chickens are doing it for health reasons or because there is a health reason, but they're doing it for good health reasons."
Resident Albert Deppi tells CTV News he has been raising chickens for ten years at his home on St. Anne Street.
“Tecumseh is a farming town,” says Deppi. “People have a lot of property and I don’t think there is anything wrong with having chickens on a property. You just have to take care of them.”
Backyard chickens are allowed in parts of Toronto as well as in the communities of Kitchener and Kingston.
Tecumseh Council had previously allowed a maximum of three urban chickens as a permitted use but amended its animal control by-law in November 2016 to ban keeping chickens in urban areas of the town. Council is expected to give final approval to a new bylaw in September.
