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Raising Chickens in City Backyards: The Public Health Role

Journal of Community Health volume 37, pages 734–742 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

There is increasing interest in raising chickens in urban settings across North America. Current regulations on backyard chickens vary by jurisdiction due to concerns about perceived health threats. Proposed negative impacts on public health and community well-being include infectious diseases acquired through rearing practices or consumption of eggs, inappropriate waste management, interaction with pests and predators and nuisance factors such as noise and odour. Proposed benefits are derived largely from the human-animal bond and from feelings of autonomy over food selection. The importance or validity of claims of positive and negative effects cannot be supported by literature specific to the urban agriculture context. Public health practitioners might approach this issue in a manner analogous to concerns over keeping domestic pets.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Mê-Linh Lê and Michele Wiens for their invaluable assistance with the literature review and referencing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Canadian Field Epidemiology Program, Public Health Agency of Canada, 301-351 Abbott Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 0G6, Canada

    S. L. Pollock

  2. Centre for Coastal Health, Nanaimo, BC, Canada

    C. Stephen

  3. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    C. Stephen

  4. School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    C. Stephen, N. Skuridina & T. Kosatsky

  5. Environmental Health Services, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    T. Kosatsky

  6. National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    T. Kosatsky

Authors
  1. S. L. Pollock
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  2. C. Stephen
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  4. T. Kosatsky
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Correspondence to S. L. Pollock.

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Pollock, S.L., Stephen, C., Skuridina, N. et al. Raising Chickens in City Backyards: The Public Health Role. J Community Health 37, 734–742 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9504-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9504-1

Keywords

  • Public health practice
  • Zoonoses
  • Environmental health
  • Urban agriculture