Courtenay council approved second reading to a bylaw amendment that would allow honeybees and hens to be kept outdoors throughout the city. ADOBE STOCK IMAGE

LETTER – Allowing chickens in residential areas is a bad idea

Dear editor,

Dear editor,

When I first read that Courtenay council was considering allowing chickens in backyards in the city, I thought it was a bad April Fools joke.

Now to my astonishment I read that this has moved to 2nd reading.

I’m sure allowing chickens is a bad idea.

Chickens make a lot of noise even without a rooster. They are very odorous, and attract vermin. Is this an offshoot of the surge in pet acquisition or just a romantic notion of having chickens? Is this the hamlet of Courtenay, or a city? There are small farms with chickens and fresh eggs for sale within an easy five-minute drive from anywhere in the city; chicken coops must not be allowed in the city proper.

I would suggest to voters that if this misguided bylaw passes, then all of the incumbents on Courtenay city council be replaced in the next election,.

Maurice Levert,

Courtenay

Comox Valley Record