build chicken coop

If council endorses a program for sanctioned backyard coops Monday, many of the roughly 100 illegal urban chicken farmers already in Calgary will vie for the limited spots, a longtime activist said. Paul Hughes has crusaded for backyard chickens for several years, and his cause failed 11-3 in council in 2010. Now, with at least seven votes in favour of a pilot program — one shy of a council majority — he hopes his Ogden backyard will become one of the 20 bylaw officials monitor during the one-year trial. “I’m just crossing my fingers. I think this city is addicted to pilot projects,” Hughes said Sunday, noting that cities like Edmonton, Red Deer and North Vancouver have already run nearly identical test projects. Calgary’s animal and bylaw services unit has proposed a trial with 20 coop keepers so it remains a manageable program for staff, and it’s comparable to Edmonton’s 19-home trial, spokeswoman Carissa Vescio said.