An idea hatched in front of council last week that could possibly allow backyard chickens.

Shawna Kerr Smith and Jennifer Walden pitched the idea to council in hopes that a pilot project will be considered.

Kerr Smith said Cochrane would not be the first municipality to take a crack at allowing urban chickens.

"There's so many communities, it is incredible how many Canadian communities allow chickens; either they are in a pilot project right now because they're testing systems out to learn how it works or they already fully integrated chickens into their towns and are happy with it."

Some of the benefits for allowing chickens look beyond the fact of farm fresh eggs.

"The education for the kid's side, I am all for teaching kids where food comes from and it just doesn't come from a grocery store. From a town side, it's beneficial because it's going to  work well with the composting and recycling system; because we can put less food into compost and waste system, because you can feed raw veggies to the chickens and their left overs it goes into composting and it's great for the soil."

Mayor Brooker wonders if the plan is all it's cracked up to be?!

"I am not entirely sure where I sit on it yet. It seems to be quite a movement going on around all the different municipalities surrounding us that they have either gone through a pilot project or their in the middle of one; either way they all seem to be successful. I am not surprised at all and I do look forward to gathering the information so that I can make an informed decision. But my first initial shock was it's not appropriate but obviously if they're doing it elsewhere it should certainly be given consideration."

Kerr Smith fully expects to hear a list of disadvantages such as smell and noise come forth, but said for many communities the year long pilot is proving to be a success.

"To my knowledge every town who has completed their pilot project has gone ahead with it. Nobody cancelled their pilot project in the middle of it and nobody at the end of the pilot project has said no this is not a good idea."

Brooker will reach out to neighboring communities and see where the plan takes us.

"Even when  it was done in Okotoks, the pilot barely passed with a 4-3 vote on council so obviously they had mixed reactions to even entertain the pilot, though oddly enough when it came back after a year in practice it was voted unanimously to put it into the bylaw."

Brooker anticipates the discussion will continue early in the New Year.

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