Keeping backyard chickens has been a legal practice in Kitchener for a few months now – and on Saturday, some of the people taking advantage of that decision showed off their coops.

The event was organized by Alayne Kleser, who keeps six hens on her property.

She was one of seven people to open up their coops to the public, to give people a better understanding of urban chickens.

“We felt that it was necessary to have an event that would allow people to see exactly what hens are about,” she said in an interview.

“It’s a wonderful way to teach your kids about where food comes from, and to get fresh eggs every morning.”

One thing some people may find surprising, Kleser said, is that raising urban chickens is a way to learn that individual birds have their own personalities.

Another is that not all of their eggs are white.

“We have blue eggs; we have dark brown eggs; we have speckled eggs,” she said.