Number of hens
An owner may have a maximum of 3 laying hens, which shall come from certified hatcheries or shops selling certified or vaccinated hens. A laying hen is a domestic bird of the gallinaceous family, an adult female of a rooster, with short wings.
It is prohibited to keep a rooster.
Keeping hens
The hens shall be kept permanently inside a closed hen house or in an adjacent wire fence enclosure (coop, pen...), in such a way that they cannot leave it on their own. The hens shall not be kept in a cage.
The hens shall remain in the hen house or in the outdoor enclosure at all times. The hens shall be kept inside the hen house between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
It is prohibited to allow the hens to roam outside the hen house or the enclosure.
Hen house and outdoor enclosure
Only one hen house is permitted per lot, to which shall be added an outdoor enclosure surrounded by a fence on each side as well as on top, preventing the hens from leaving it.
The design of the hen house and its enclosure shall provide adequate living space and ventilation.
The shelter for the hens shall be constructed with aesthetic materials, compatible with the immediate environment.
Without limiting the generality of the preceding paragraph, the layout of the hen house and its outdoor enclosure shall allow the hens to find shade during warm periods and to have a source of heat during cold periods and shall ensure good ventilation at all times.
An owner who keeps hens, at the onset of the winter season, shall make sure that his facilities protect them from the cold.
Feeding and drinking troughs shall be located inside the hen house or otherwise protected in such a way that no migrating web-footed bird (palmiped) can access them or contaminate them nor attract other animals.
Dimensions
The minimum size of the hen house shall be 0.37 m2 per hen, without exceeding floor space of 10 m2. The maximum height at the top of the hen house roof shall be limited to 2.5 metres. The minimum size of the enclosure shall be 0.92 m2 per hen, without exceeding floor space of 10 m2.
Authorized area
It is permitted to keep hens on a piece of land where a dwelling is already built. The dwelling shall be a detached, single-family home.
The lot shall have a minimum size of 7,500 square feet (770 square metres).
The hen house and outdoor enclosure shall be located in the backyard, at a distance of at least 2 metres from the lot line. The hen house and enclosure shall be located at a minimum distance of 1 metre from the main dwelling and its outbuildings.
No hen house may be located on the bank of a watercourse.
In the case of unserviced land, the hen house shall be located at a minimum distance of 30 metres from a well.
Maintenance, hygiene, nuisances
The hen house and its outdoor enclosure shall be kept clean. Excrement shall be removed from the hen house daily and disposed of in the waste bin provided by the Town of Rosemère. The owner shall look after the removal of such excrement from his property on a weekly basis.
No owner may use surface water to clean a hen house, its enclosure or equipment to provide drinking water for the hens. The water used for such cleaning purposes shall not flow onto an adjacent property.
Food and water containers shall be kept in the hen house or enclosure so as not to attract other animals or rodents. Surface water shall not be used for providing the hens with drinking water.
Food shall be stored in an area where it cannot be damaged by rodents. A feeder with a rodent-proof lid shall be used.
No odours related to this activity shall be perceptible outside the boundaries of the land where such activity is carried out.
Product sales and signage
The sale of eggs, meat, manure or other products derived from this activity is prohibited. No advertisement or sign referring to the sale or presence of domestic breeding is authorized.
Disease and slaughter
Any disease shall be reported to a veterinarian. The hens shall be slaughtered by an approved slaughterhouse or veterinarian. It is prohibited to euthanize a hen on a piece of residential land or any other land.
A dead hen shall be removed from the property within 24 hours and brought to the SPCA.
Cessation of activity
When such activity ceases, the owner shall transfer his hens to an owner operating in an agricultural environment or have them slaughtered by a slaughterhouse having the appropriate licences. The hen house and its outdoor enclosure shall then be dismantled within the next 30 days.
Permits
A permit is required to set up a hen house and enclosure.
Only the owner of a detached, single-family home may apply for a permit.
To obtain such a permit from the Urban Planning Department, the owner shall submit a written request along with payment of the $25 fee for issuance of the permit.
ID Tag
for Dogs
Following the new provincial regulation concerning dogs, which recently came into force, all dog owners in Rosemere must register their dog(s) from now on and obtain the regulatory ID tag from the SPCA Lanaudière Basses-Laurentides. However, guide dogs are exempt from this new regulation.
This ID tag must be purchased directly online on the SPCA Lanaudière Basses-Laurentides website, at a cost of $25/by 2 years.
Reminder of the other rules concerning dogs
We allow a maximum of two (2) dogs at each civic address.
In addition, in a public place, a dog must be kept on a leash of a maximum length of 1.22m and its master must be able to control it at all times.
A dog weighing more than 20kg (45lbs) must, at all times, wear a halter or harness attached to its leash.
All dog owners or dog keepers must remove or clean up their dog's droppings in public places and on private property.