Chickens and roosters

Chickens and roosters can be fantastic additions to your garden and are great pets; with the added benefit of fresh eggs. However, owners must not negatively impact neighbours by allowing odours, breeding of vermin, etc.

Whilst there are no set limits for keeping chickens as pets in The Barossa Council region, the number must be reasonable for the size of your property, the size of their enclosure and your ability to feed and maintain them, including cleaning out their yard.

Larger numbers of birds will require more frequent maintenance and cleaning, and will often result in a higher chance of causing a nuisance to neighbours.

Construction and location of your coop should be in a manner that allows for easy cleaning. Allow 0.4m2 floor space for each bird.

Shelter construction guidelines

• Construct the coop in the rear yard
• Locate the coop at least 1 meter from boundary fences. And as far as practical from liveable structures on your property and neighbouring properties.
• Locate the coop away from stormwater run-off areas.
• The coop should be weatherproof, rat proof and well ventilated.
• The floor should be paved with concrete or other material that is unable to absorb water.
• Part of the coop can be covered with wire netting but should have a rainproof roof which overhangs the wall.
• It is best to face your coop in a northerly or easterly direction to prevent rain entering.
• Limit the size of the coop to 2.5m height, 15m2 in area and no greater span that 3m, as anything larger would require development approval.

Nuisances like excessive odour, noise, rodents or insects, as well as wandering are commonly received concerns when it comes to chickens and roosters; with the most commonly reported nuisance being noise from roosters.

Yes. However, this is providing it does not cause a nuisance to your neighbours. By their very nature, roosters regularly cause significant noise nuisances to neighbours, particularly very early in the morning.

It is difficult to adequately prevent a rooster from creating a noise nuisance, which is why keeping a rooster in a township or in a residential area is not recommended.

To minimise the chance of nuisance to neighbours you can follow these recommendations:

• Keeping a small number of chickens in a good-sized and well-positioned enclosure, which is regularly cleaned and maintained.

• All waste should be disposed of appropriately (either into a bin or dug into the ground).

• If you allow your poultry to free range on your property, you must ensure they cannot wander from your property.
• Food should be stored in sealed, air-tight containers and feeding should be done in small amounts to prevent attracting vermin.

If Council receives concerns about your poultry, we will be in contact with you to work through the concerns and you may be asked to address the nuisances.

If the nuisance relates to a rooster, you may be asked to consider relocating it to a more appropriate property.

If you feel comfortable doing so, discuss the matter with your neighbours or leave a friendly note in their letterbox. They may be unaware of the nuisance.

If the problem persists or you are unable to speak to the neighbours, please contact us on 8563 8444 or at barossa@barossa.sa.gov.au for assistance.

If the nuisance relates to noise, we may ask you to keep a record of the nuisance over a few days to help us determine the extent of the nuisance.