October 02nd, 2013

You can probably guess from the heading that I loved the classic Emilio Estivez movie “Young Guns” which had a great scene relating to the size of “that chicken”. Anyway, about a year or so ago, I picked up 4 one day old chickens for my young children to watch grow and provide us with eggs. The two hens that my daughter named Steve just so happen to be the best egg producers (thankfully not roosters) but also the noisiest. Whilst my neighbours are extremely understanding and are easily placated with a dozen fresh eggs, given the popularity of backyard poultry I thought I would take a look at the relevant requirements for keeping chickens. 
So....  If you live in the Wingecarribee Shire Council (and other Councils) each council publishes guidelines for the keeping of poultry!  Firstly, the Hen House must meet the requirements of the Exempt and Complying Development Codes otherwise you will need to seek approval from Council  For those who are interested, see specifically Subdivision 2.41 of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008   Secondly, consider the number of hens that you would like to keep....  Generally, the maximum number that you can keep in a residential zone without consent is 10..  Thirdly, in a residential zone, the Hen House should not be more than 3m above the existing ground level, must not have a floor area more than 15m2 and must be located in the rear yard.  And VERY IMPORTANTLY..... Don't have a rooster in a residential area (should this be needed to state!  They are frequent source of neighbourly disputes for obvious reasons!  DO MAKE SURE the Hen House is located away from the property boundary and ensure your certificate of titles states that there is NO COVENANT in the prohibiting of keeping of poultry!  A dozen fresh eggs go a long way towards friendly neighbouhood relations (as well as a good supply of "Chook-Sitters" if you have to go away for any period of time!  
Article supplied by our friend
John Kettle - Principal Lawyer at Stacks / THE LAW FIRM
Tel 02 4861 6600

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