South Frontenac residents in a fight to keep their backyard chickens

Debate over backyard chickens Two women in the Township of South Frontenac are headed to court to fight to keep their backyard chickens. CTV's Kimberley Johnson reports.

Some South Frontenac residents are in a fight to keep the flock, as two women are preparing to head to court in the hopes of keeping their backyard chickens.

Judi Curry has a name for all her chickens.

"This one’s Hoppy. We’ve got Miss Snow,” Curry says, as she is going through chickens at her house near Westport.

After moving onto her family property full time three years ago, Curry says she couldn’t wait to raise chickens.

However, she soon found out it was actually illegal for her to do so.

"The summer time of the first year, when we barely had them outside and they were starting to lay eggs, we got a notice from South Frontenac saying we were in violation,” Curry explains. "Which was a total shock to us."

That shock was that Curry’s home is not designated as a zone that can hold backyard chickens.

South Frontenac, which sits just above Kingston, has allowed backyard chickens on one to three acre lots since 2011. But only ones that are designated rural or agriculture are permitted to have backyard chickens. Curry’s home is considered waterfront.

“We thought we had done all our due diligence, our research,” says Curry. “So I thought, ‘OK, we’re OK here, this is great.' It was a total shock."

Now she and another South Frontenac homeowner have been summoned to court to plead their case, and are hoping to be able to keep them.

"It’s very, very stressful," Curry said. "I often don’t sleep thinking about what’s going to happen, and then of course, going to court."

South Frontenac Township’s planning office tells CTV News Ottawa they couldn’t comment because of the legal proceedings, but confirms that the women do not have the designation to keep chickens under the current rules.

Frances Broome is also being called to court later this year for her chickens, known as Silkies.

"Anguished over the whole situation," Broome says of how she’s feeling. “Because we don’t want to lose our chickens and I guess until they come and take them away. We won’t give them up and they’ll fine us probably a few times before that.”

The township’s official plan is set to be renewed later this year and the bylaws will be reviewed, which could include new rules for backyard chickens.

With no idea what comes next, both say they would like to see the bylaw changed, and the court date put aside.

Broome says she will continue to fight.

“We just really love them and we don’t want to lose them and we don’t want people to have to go through what we’re going through," she explains.