Raising your poultry at home
Poultry breeders, for personal consumption or for small-scale sale, this site is for you! Whether you are in a rural or urban area, you will find information here on breeding and regulations, references, contacts and Quebec organizations that will help you in your process of raising healthy chickens or other poultry.
This site is aimed at breeders of the majority of poultry species, namely:
- Chickens
- Turkeys
- Chickens
- Ducks
- Quails
- Partridge
- Pheasants
- Guinea fowl
- Geese
Many factors must be considered in order to produce a quality bird in a responsible manner. By knowing the potential impact of each of these factors on your birds, you will be able to take the right actions at the right time.
- Small poultry farms in Quebec: the regulations
- Best practices for your backyard
- Biosecurity
- Poultry health
- If euthanasia is necessary
You can download a full version or summary of the EQCMA Backyard Poultry Raising Guide here (available in French only).
For more details on urban poultry farms, consult the MAPAQ site: Hens and chickens in the city (available in French only).
Other useful links
Breeder sites or breeder groups:
Poultry breeders of Quebec
http://volaillesduquebec.qc.ca/
Federation of Quebec Egg Producers
http://www.oeuf.ca/
Quebec Small Animal Breeders Club
http://www.cepaqc.com/
Federation of Producers of Heritage Breeds of Quebec
http://www.fprpq.com
Duck from Quebec
http://www.canardduquebec.com
MAPAQ
Monograph of the poultry industry in Quebec
www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/Publications/Volaille.pdf
Portrait of the hatching egg production sector
www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/Publications/oeufs_incubation_WEB.pdf
Brochure Urban agriculture, Chicken in the city
http://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/Publications/Poulesenville.pdf
Regulations relating to the confinement of captive birds
http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/ShowDoc/cr/P-42,%20r.%204
Regulations concerning animal welfare
http://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/Fr/Productions/santeanimale/securitebienetre/Pages/securitebienetre.aspx
Small bird farms
https://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/Productions/santeanimale/entreprises/RAIZO/reseauaviaire/Pages/Petits-Elevages-Oiseaux.aspx
National Farm Animal Care Council
Code of Practice for the care and handling of chickens, turkeys and breeders from hatchery to slaughter
http://www.nfacc.ca/codes-de-pratiques/poulets-dindons-et-reproducteurs
Reference center in agriculture and agri-food in Quebec
Aviculture Guide
http://www.craaq.qc.ca/Publications-du-CRAAQ/guide-aviculture/p/PAVI0018-PDF
Signes de Poules, practical guide to observing poultry
http://www.craaq.qc.ca/Publications-du-CRAAQ/signes-de-poules/p/PAUT0119
The pheasant, breeding guide
The quail, breeding guide
The guinea fowl, breeding guide
The duck and the goose, breeding guide
France
ITAVI, Farm poultry breeding guide (pdf)
Government websites
Website Ontario, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; small flock of poultry