Last weekend, visits from the Easter bunny likely filled many households with colourful and chocolaty eggs — but the best variety remains fresh Manitoba eggs.
Claire McCaffrey, communications specialist at Manitoba Egg Farmers, explained that eggs are one of nature’s most nutrient-dense foods.
“Eggs are an excellent source of high quality protein, and they provide many vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin B12, riboflavin, Vitamin D, folate, choline and iron. Eggs are considered a complete protein as they contain all nine essential amino acids along with a wide array of other vitamins and minerals,” she said.
“The natural protein from an egg is best absorbed and utilized by the body; therefore, egg protein is considered to be the gold standard of protein quality. Eggs are an affordable, nutritious and highly versatile protein, making them a great choice for any meal of the day.”
Hens lay about one egg per day on regulated egg farms, amounting to an average of 330 eggs per year in Manitoba.
“On our regulated egg farms, laying hens are fed a nutritious diet of grains such as corn, soybeans and canola to meet their energy and protein requirements. These diets are formulated by a poultry nutritionist and produced in a commercial feed mill,” McCaffrey said.
“In Manitoba, eggs travel from the farm to the grading station, then to the grocery store within a week of being laid. All eggs purchased at grocery stores in Manitoba —or anywhere eggs are sold — are produced here in the province by egg-farming families.”
Depending where they live, some Manitobans can keep their own chickens even if they don’t live on a regulated egg farm.
In the RM of Rockwood, residents can keep three or more chickens in an agricultural zone, depending on the acreage they own. In residential-designated areas, residents need to seek council’s permission to keep chickens, which are considered livestock. Looking ahead, the approved area might be expanded in future zoning bylaw updates.
Meanwhile, in the Town of Stonewall, backyard chickens are currently not allowed within town under the animal control and zoning bylaws. However, the newly annexed lands are an exception since any property that was allowed to have livestock under the RM of Rockwood’s bylaws is still allowed to have those same types of animals until the area is rezoned or redeveloped.
For the Town of Teulon, livestock — including chickens — is not permitted in town limits.
Likewise, in the RM of Woodlands, backyard chickens are also not permitted. Residents would need to apply to council to seek permission if they’re interested in keeping chickens.
In the RM of Rosser, livestock — including chickens — is only permitted in the agricultural zones. However, within these agricultural zones, the RM’s zoning bylaw sets out additional specific clauses related to poultry that must be followed. For example, no more than six hens can be kept on properties that are less than four acres. In addition, no chickens are allowed in Rosser’s settlement centre zones. Anyone who is considering keeping chickens in the RM of Rosser should refer to the section on animal keeping in the zoning bylaw and also review the municipality’s animal control bylaw.
According to Earth911.com, which encourages people to reduce their environmental impact, backyard chickens can help households to reduce waste and carbon emissions, provide natural pest control and create opportunities for reuse.
However, McCaffrey said that raising livestock is a big responsibility with many factors that need to be considered.
Manitoba Egg Farmers — which represents the 170 regulated egg farmers in the province — has developed a fact sheet in collaboration with provincial veterinarians to highlight important factors to consider for hens’ safety and well-being.
According to the fact sheet, entitled “Urban Egg Farmer: Top 10 List of Chores,” anyone looking to raise backyard chickens should ensure they purchase feed from a specialized supplier rather than a pet food store. In addition, chickens need clean water, protection from predators and an appropriate shelter to protect them from the weather.
All livestock can carry disease that can be transmitted to humans, and eggshells can also absorb bacteria if not handled properly.
As well, hens require vaccinations and health-care from a qualified veterinarian, especially if they’re ill.
The fact sheet also notes that it’s important to develop a plan to dispose of chicken manure. Each hen excretes about two pounds of manure per week.
Older hens need to take a break from egg production from time to time. Similarly, areas where animals are housed also need downtime with no poultry living in the area in order to break the cycle of potential bacteria, intestinal roundworms and viruses.
Visit www.eggs.mb.ca/about-us/becoming-an-egg-farmer/unregulated-egg-farmer for more information about unregulated egg farmers and people interested in backyard chickens.
To learn more about egg farming in Manitoba, visit www.eggs.mb.ca or the social media pages for Manitoba Egg Farmers.
