Here in the soap kitchen, we spend a great deal of time talking about new ingredients we'd like to try, cool new products we'd like to create and how to make Savon Du Bois bigger and more awesome than it already is. We also talk about animals a lot, as the welfare of our two- and four-legged friends is a passion all of us here share. Recently, our soap kitchen discussion was about chickens.
It all started a few months ago when Anne read an article in the Toronto Star newspaper (http://bit.ly/ApObup) about a woman in that city who kept chickens in her backyard. The three little hens, Pippi, Mabel and Elli, lived quietly in Trish Tervit's yard in a custom-built chicken coop. In direct contrast to the lives of chickens on factory farms, these girls enjoyed full freedom to stretch their wings, wander the yard, eat grass and do whatever it is chickens like to do. It was a mutually beneficial relationship too. The chickens happily produced fresh eggs every day for Trish and her family, and gave her kids an opportunity to learn how to care for a pet. In other words, they were part of Trish's family.
I tell this story in the past tense, because sadly, things have changed since the newspaper article was published. Pippi, Mabel and Elli don't live in Trish's backyard anymore. The chicken coop is empty. One of her neighbours anonymously (and cowardly) complained to the city, and Trish received notice that the chickens had to go. Backyard agriculture is a no-no in Toronto and if she didn't re-home the hens herself, the city would do it for her. The reasons were vague. Her chickens weren't noisy and there was no unpleasant smell from them. She couldn't understand the problem. Misinformation about disease and predators had the city counsellors running scared, and Trish was left with no choice but to get rid of her precious hens.
When Anne read this story, her heart went out to Trish and her dilemma. She sent an email of support and offered to take the chickens herself as a last resort, if no other solution could be found. A few anxious days later, Trish called and asked Anne if she would take them. She had been unable to find a new home for the girls and time was running out. Not able to have backyard chickens either, Anne had to think fast to come up with a solution and she set to work making phone calls to see what she could do. She placed a call to our wonderful friends Eric and Jenny at Gallery on the Farm, and they agreed to provide a long-term home for the hens at their organic beef farm. They moved in March 2012 and have been there ever since.
On a recent visit to the farm, Anne was pleased to see that Pippi, Mabel and Elli are loving their new home. They have new chicken friends, but the three of them still stay together most of the time. They wander the barnyard, visit with the cows and fly up to the roof occasionally for a view of the countryside. Anne keeps Trish up-to-date on a regular basis and sends her a photo of her girls every now and then. Trish misses them, but is happy they have found such a wonderful home.
In a city where snakes come out of toilets and raccoons break into houses, why are a few little chickens considered such a big deal? They aren't destructive or messy. They aren't noisy, and they mind their own business. I don't get it. I bet the narrow-minded bureaucrats that voted on this issue did so blindly, without getting the information they needed to make an informed decision. Most major U.S. cities have made allowances for backyard chickens, noting that legitimate reasons for prohibiting them are as hard to find as a needle in a haystack.
Pippi, Mabel and Elli are thankful for Eric and Jenny's generosity and reward them with fresh eggs every day. Trish, like any pet parent, misses them and thinks of them often. Anne, and the rest of the crew here at Savon Du Bois, are thrilled to have contributed to this happy ending.
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