Keeping birds and poultry

Number of birds you can keep

If you own or occupy a property in an urban zone that is smaller than 0.2 hectares, you cannot keep:

any live poultry except in a bird enclosure

• more than 2:
  • drakes, or
  • ducks, or
  • turkeys, or
  • geese
• more than 10 head of poultry unless you have a permit, where 1 head of poultry equal one of the following:
  • 1 chicken
  • 3 pigeons
  • 3 quail
  • 1 pigeon and 2 quail
  • 2 pigeons and 1 quail
• unless with the consent of Council, no roosters can be kept on any land in an urban residential area

The maximum number of poultry you can keep in a bird enclosure is one for every 0.5 square metres of floor area.

The only exception is where a Planning Scheme town planning permit has been issued for the keeping of birds.

Bird enclosures

Every bird enclosure on any premises must:

• not be higher than 2.4m
• be at least 3m from the boundary of any adjoining premises
• be roofed and be free of vermin

If your bird enclosure does not meet these criteria, you can be issued with an on-the-spot fine of $200, and may have to pay a court imposed penalty of up to $2000.

Bird health

If you occupy a property where a bird is kept, you must ensure that:

• any bird enclosure or bird cage is maintained so that it does not create any condition that may be offensive, dangerous to health, unsightly or a nuisance
• any waste or other matter is not left in a place or way that it may become offensive, dangerous to health or likely to attract or harbour rodents or other vermin
• any dead or diseased bird is immediately disposed of

Storage of food

You must store bird food in in a vermin proof container.

Help for injured native birds and wildlife

If you find an injured native bird or other wildlife, you can contact a 24-hour wildlife emergency hotline. For more information, visit the Wildlife Victoria website.