A common question in New Orleans is whether renters and owners of homes can have chickens on their property. In March 2012, the city of New Orleans amended the Code of Ordinances (Chapter 18 – Animals) and now classifies roosters as “wild or exotic animals,” joining alligators, monkeys, and other animals that cannot be kept as pets in New Orleans.
Specifically, in section 18.7 of the City of New Orleans Code, it states “wild or exotic animals as pets [are] prohibited. No person shall keep or permit to be kept any wild or exotic animal as a pet. However, chickens (hens) are allowed as pets, since one of the main reasons people keep chickens is for gathering eggs for personal use such as eating. This is why the information on things like how to build a chicken coop, for example, is readily accessible online.
One of the reasons that roosters were put into this “wild or exotic” category was because of cock fighting and the cruelty of animal charges that were being brought throughout the city. Another reason for this ban on having roosters as pets was the disruptive noise it was causing in New Orleans’ neighborhoods with locals complaining of excessive amounts of roosters “crowing” at all hours of the day.
There are also advertisements on Craigslist, the local newspaper and in social media offering baby chicks for sale. One of the things that buyers need to be aware of is that they should only buy from respectable sellers who do not sell roosters, and make sure that you can tell the difference between a rooster and a chicken so that the authorities do not come a-knocking.
If animal control officers in New Orleans find a rooster, the owner has 15 days to relocate the animal out of the neighborhood. If the rooster isn’t relocated, the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (“LA/SPCA”) will impound the animal and euthanize it.
Now back to chicken talk. When you finally have chickens, make sure to build a reliable and safe chicken coop. Depending on the size of your chickens, you’ll want to move your chickens into a chicken coop as soon as they are feathered. Most chicken experts recommend about 2-4 square feet per chicken inside the henhouse, and 4-6 sq. ft per chicken in an outside run. It is also important to keep predators such as foxes and snakes away from your chickens so that they have a safe home for laying eggs.