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INUVIK
Underneath the Halpines house in Inuvik, there's something a little different going on.

Aaron, left, and Jacob Halpine hold some of the roosters that live under their home in a chicken coop. The family is raising chickens for their Christmas dinner and hopes to start with hens in the spring. - Samantha Stokell/NNSL photo

Besides the usual items stored under Inuvik homes, nine roosters have a warm place to live until they become dinner later this winter. Kim and Dave Halpine built a chicken coop this fall to experiment with chicken husbandry.

"Both of us would like a farm and this is as close as we can get in Inuvik," Kim said. "We're going to harvest them at Christmas."

Until Christmas the roosters have a cozy, insulated coop that has hay and a heat lamp to keep the temperature no colder than -15 C, a post along one wall, three small roosting nests and a swinging pole. Dave and his oldest son Aaron, 6, built the coop.

In the spring, the Halpines hope to get started on some hens from chicks and then have fresh eggs every day.

"We could use a little more comfort food," Dave said. "Mostly it's because we want the kids to do the jobs of collecting eggs, checking their water. We want them to learn where their food comes from and responsibility for the animals."

The idea to keep chickens began last Christmas, when Dave's sister gave him a book all about raising chickens in the backyard. After reading the book as a bedtime story and asking around town, the Halpines decided to move forward with the project.

They got the chickens from a man in town who actually breeds the chickens. The friend also provides the Halpines with chicken feed, although usually the chickens eat scraps. Their favourite food so far? Yogurt and corn.

The Halpines aren't the only people in the NWT raising chickens. Hay River has large-scale commercial operations with up to 120,000 birds laying eggs. Another group in Norman Wells has free-run chickens and smaller operations with less than 100 chickens existing in various homes around the territory.

When raising chickens, there's two types: layers and broilers. Broilers are raised for their meat and layers lay eggs. There's different ways to raise them as well: either caged, free-run in a structure like the Halpines have or free-range where the chickens roam on the land. The danger of free-range comes from animals such as foxes and coyotes taking advantage of the free food.

While the territorial Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) doesn't have specific funding \for chicken husbandry, interested persons could look to the small-scale food grants available. So far, people have mostly used the grants for fruit and vegetable production, but it could be used for livestock or poultry.

"The small-scale food programs help with setting up self-sufficient, local production," said Gene Hachey, agriculture, agrifoods and community wildlife development consultant for ITI. "The grants are aimed at community or individuals who want to get into local production."

Hachey suggests that anyone thinking of getting into raising chickens do research and start small. The risk with animals over gardens is much higher, but he said birds don't ask for much: just water and food.

"My approach to everything is that if you want to do it, do it, but get informed, step lightly and have fun," Hachey said. "If you're not expecting too much, you will do well. Remember to try stuff, relax and learn as you go."

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