Florida Chicken Laws

Chicken laws vary among Florida cities and counties in regard to private citizens keeping chickens on their property. Industry is guided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for grading and certification of poultry and eggs based on the quality standards they have established. The USDA grades approximately 40 percent of eggs and 60 percent of chickens provided to consumers in the United States.

  1. Backyard Chickens

    • The "City Chicken" provides information on laws in in Florida. For example, laws prohibit keeping chickens in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and the city of Sanford, Florida. Sanford law permits chickens in the county, but they must be a minimum of 25 feet from the home and at least 150 feet from neighbors. In Levy County, individuals are permitted to keep no more than 10 chickens. Miami permits as many as 15 hens, but no roosters. In addition, they must be a minimum of 100 feet away from any structures. It is not permissible to use the droppings for fertilizer and the droppings must be cleaned out of pens twice a week or more, paper wrapped and kept in a covered can until removed. Districts that are zoned residential are not permitted to have chickens.

    Federal Standards

    • The Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA began to establish the grading and standards for poultry and eggs in 1913. Legislation authorized their work in 1917 and during World War II were required to be inspected and graded to ensure the quality of foods provided to the troops. The official USDA grades and standards are applied by buyers and sellers to determine the price and value. Certification of poultry and eggs indicates they meet the USDA requirements for quality, quantity, formulation, weight, condition, storage, packaging and transportation. Certification and grading services are voluntary and the industries that request them are responsible for the cost. In some government contracts the services are required, such as USDA-operated feeding programs and military rations.

    Considerations

    • "Scribd" offers information about backyard chickens to help individuals pursue chicken law changes, allowing them to raise them. It is noted that backyard chicken coops are often clean and attractive compared to commercial operations and farms. "Scribd" also indicates that chicken droppings, which have minimal odor with small numbers of chickens, may be composted and used as fertilizer. Hens are not noisy and roosters are not necessary for the hens to lay eggs. The need for chemical herbicides and pesticides is reduced because the chickens eat bugs and weeds. Keeping chickens also allows citizens to provide some of their food to be more self-sufficient, with an economical impact in cost savings.