LAURIE WEIR
Will it be an eggcellent adventure for residents of Smiths Falls?
Smiths Falls council voted Monday, May 5 to move forward with a one-year backyard hen pilot project, despite warnings from a local animal welfare advocate, and divided public sentiment. Two delegations — one opposing the bylaw and one in favour — laid out conflicting visions of what chickens in town might mean for residents.
Manure Math and Biosecurity Concerns
Liz Wheeler, co-founder of Secondhand Stories Chicken Sanctuary in Rideau Lakes, spoke against the bylaw. With more than a decade of experience in animal care and nonprofit governance, Wheeler argued that the town is rushing ahead without safeguards. Her data-heavy presentation emphasized risks to public health, the environment, and animal welfare.
“Six hens generate 27 kilograms of manure monthly,” Wheeler told council. “With 459 households expressing interest, that’s 12.4 tonnes of waste every month — and nearly 149 tonnes annually.” The town’s proposed 100-litre manure storage limit per household, she said, would be overwhelmed in under three months, with no plan for composting, pickup, or enforcement.
Wheeler also raised alarms about avian influenza, citing concerns from the World Health Organization and the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit. She pointed out that companion animals, including a dog in Oshawa, have died from the virus. Without licensing or inspection processes, she said, Smiths Falls would be unable to monitor outbreaks, enforce biosecurity, or trace disease transmission.
Beyond disease, Wheeler noted that chickens attract predators and rodents, pose noise and odour issues, and — without contingency planning — risk abandonment, neglect, or death once their egg-laying days end. “We already have a feral cat crisis,” she said, noting the town’s not ready for feral chickens.
Wheeler said the majority of surrendered chickens in this region come from overwhelmed backyard owners. She emphasized that Secondhand Stories is the only facility locally accepting chickens, and warned that Smiths Falls is not prepared for the volume of rehoming requests that typically follow the launch of such programs.
She also pointed out that the town’s own survey results showed a more divided community than headline numbers suggested. While 70 per cent supported the idea of a chicken pilot, 52 per cent of open-ended comments were negative — citing noise, smell, disease risk, and lack of enforcement as top concerns.
Eggonomics Don’t Add Up
Wheeler challenged the notion that backyard hens could ease food insecurity. She estimated the total monthly cost of maintaining six hens — not including vet care or adequate shelter — at about $70, with the hens producing roughly 90 eggs. That’s 78 cents per egg, compared to about 31 cents per egg at a local grocery store. “That’s a 252 per cent increase,” she said.
Rebuttal and a Call for Perspective
Danny Radford, who initially proposed the bylaw in 2024, took the opposing view. While acknowledging some shortcomings in the bylaw draft, Radford argued that the risks had been overstated. He challenged several of Wheeler’s statistics and offered alternative calculations.
Radford disputed the egg cost analysis, suggesting a more realistic approach would amortize coop costs over several years and assume higher egg-laying efficiency. By his math, the actual cost difference came out to about $1 more per dozen backyard eggs — not a 252 per cent increase. “All eggs are not created equal,” he said. “This is apples to oranges.”
He also pushed back on the significance of the survey’s negative comments. Radford noted that while the comment section showed 52 per cent opposition, open-ended responses tend to attract more criticism due to social media negativity bias. He emphasized that 70 per cent of total survey respondents still supported the idea of a backyard hen program.
Radford downplayed concerns about avian flu, noting that most documented outbreaks in Ontario were at commercial farms. He said with proper hygiene, coop covers, and public education, risks could be minimized. He urged council to look at successful models in other municipalities and adapt the bylaw accordingly.
Moving Ahead
Council ultimately voted to proceed with the pilot, and supported it by a recorded 4-3 vote during the following council meeting. Councillors Chris McGuire, Peter McKenna, Jennifer Miller and Mayor Shawn Pankow voted in favour of the project.
