Current Law
Fowl. No chicken or other fowl shall be maintained on any lot having an area of less than one acre, provided that, regardless of lot size, the following regulations shall be met:
- No building to house or shelter any fowl shall be closer than 50 feet to any lot line.
- There shall be no processing and/or slaughtering of fowl for commercial purposes.
For Discussion
Many other NJ towns are changing their laws to allow residents to keep some chicken (no roosters!) on smaller lots. For example, Lumberton allows 3 chickens on a 6,000 sq ft lot. Changing the Ordinance would allow Hainesport to require a license. One option would be to make this conditional on taking a three-hour class about responsible flock management.
However, there are downsides, such as the potential for disease, the attraction of flies and other vermin, even the risk of predators such as foxes.
Hainesport Township Committee is currently in the fact-finding stage of this project, and would love to hear from residents on their views.
“Egged on by Grocery Prices, Cities Welcome Backyard Chickens” by Alex Brown
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