Keeping hens · Province rules

Can you keep backyard chickens in New Brunswick, Canada?

In New Brunswick, an operation with fewer than 200 poultry and fewer than 20 other livestock is exempt from the Livestock Operations Act; whether keepers must enrol in premises ID wasn't established.

Read from 10 official sources51 passages quotedChecked October 26, 2026

At a glance

Registering your flock

Conditions apply

Where hens can live

Set locally

Bird-flu housing orders

Status needs rechecking

Welfare rules

Rule with conditions
Set locally

Who decides where hens can live

The law we read gives a named local body its own powers over where hens can live. What the checked sources say:

  • A local government may make by-laws for municipal purposes respecting wild, domestic and exotic animals and activities in relation to them, including animal control activities.
  • The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may make regulations governing animal control services, including the keeping of animals, in a rural district and in a rural community or regional municipality that has not made its own by-law for that service.
  • Check with your local government (municipality, rural community or regional municipality), or, in a rural district, with the provincial government.

No province-wide permission for or ban on backyard chickens was found in the sections read. Regulations made under section 191(1)(z), the Community Planning Act, the province’s “right to farm” law and local by-laws were not read.

The law's own words are quoted under rules on keeping poultry below.

How to check: Look up the local rules where you live (the ordinances, bylaws or zoning of the body named here), or ask that office, before you get hens.

A sourced reading of the law in New Brunswick, Canada, not legal advice. Local bylaws and zoning, property or tenancy rules, and any local rooster or coop limits aren't covered here yet: check your local rules before you get hens.

Keeping your flock

These findings cover the scope stated below. They do not determine whether chickens are allowed at a particular home. City zoning, property restrictions and other local rules are outside this research.

Registering as a poultry keeper

Conditions apply to this finding

Jurisdiction: New Brunswick

Applies to: New Brunswick’s Livestock Health Act (registry of livestock producers) and General Regulation 2024-62, the Livestock Operations Act and its General Regulation 99-32 (operation licences), and the province’s January 2024 backyard poultry guide and June 2024 premises identification form, as read on 26 October 2026.

Outside this finding's scope

  • No duty for poultry keepers to enrol in premises identification was found in the Livestock Health Act sections read or in General Regulation 2024-62. That is not proof that no such duty exists.
  • Registration does not give permission to keep chickens at a particular property.

What the checked sources say

  • The Livestock Health Act lets the Minister establish and maintain a registry of livestock producers, to set up a traceability system for livestock in the province. The sections read do not say who must enrol.
  • The province’s January 2024 backyard poultry guide says Livestock Premise Identification (LPID) is easy and free, and points to the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries for the application form. The June 2024 form lists “Poultry - Laying Hens” as a species type.
  • Separately, a person may not carry on a livestock operation (the raising, maintenance or use of livestock, including poultry) without a livestock operation licence. For that Act and its regulation, poultry means chickens and turkeys.

Thresholds

  • Livestock operation licence: an operation with fewer than twenty livestock other than poultry and fewer than two hundred poultry is exempt.

Exemptions and their limits

  • Exempt from the Livestock Operations Act and its regulation, among the exemptions in section 4 of the regulation: an operation with fewer than twenty livestock other than poultry and fewer than two hundred poultry; an operation that does not have or use a livestock facility; and an operation already carried on immediately before the regulation came into force on 1 May 1999, if it meets the conditions in section 4(2) (for example, it has not ceased or suspended operation for more than two years).

Authority: Livestock operation licences: the Registrar under the Livestock Operations Act. Livestock Premise Identification (LPID): the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries, according to the province’s backyard poultry guide.

Fee: The January 2024 backyard poultry guide describes LPID as free.

The official wording

  • 4 (1) The Minister may establish and maintain a registry of livestock producers in the Province. 4 (2) The purpose of the registry is to establish a traceability system for livestock in the Province and to facilitate the provision of services prescribed by regulation.

    s. 4(1)-(2) · Checked

  • N.B. This Act was proclaimed and came into force September 1, 2024. N.B. This Act is consolidated to September 1, 2024.

    closing notes · Checked

  • January 2024

    cover · Checked

  • In New Brunswick, the Livestock Premise Identification (LPID) is easy and is free.

    s. 2.1, printed/PDF page 13 · Checked

  • For more information on the LPID system and an application form, go to the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries website and search under “livestock premise identification program”.

    s. 2.1, printed/PDF page 13 · Checked

  • Poultry - Laying Hens

    page 2, species type and maximum capacity · Checked

  • Version 5.5 (Revised June 2024)

    page footer · Checked

  • “livestock” means pigs, cattle, poultry and any other animal prescribed by regulation;

    s. 1, livestock · Checked

  • “livestock operation” means the raising, maintenance or use of livestock;

    s. 1, livestock operation · Checked

  • 3 A person shall not carry on a livestock operation unless the person holds a livestock operation licence.

    s. 3 · Checked

  • For the purposes of the Act and this Regulation, “poultry” means chickens and turkeys.

    s. 2(2) · Checked

  • The following livestock operations are exempt from the application of the Act and this Regulation:

    s. 4(1) opening · Checked

  • ( b ) a livestock operation that does not have or use a livestock facility;

    s. 4(1)(b) · Checked

  • ( c ) a livestock operation with fewer than twenty livestock, other than poultry, and fewer than two hundred poultry;

    s. 4(1)(c) · Checked

  • This Act is consolidated to June 16, 2023.

    closing note · Checked

  • This Regulation is consolidated to January 31, 2018.

    closing note · Checked

  • ( d ) subject to subsection (2), a livestock operation, other than one referred to in paragraph ( a ), ( b ) or ( c ), that is being carried on immediately before the commencement of this Regulation.

    s. 4(1)(d) · Checked

  • An exemption under paragraph (1)( d ) is subject to the following conditions: ( a ) the operation does not cease or suspend operation for a period in excess of two years;

    s. 4(2)(a) · Checked

  • This Regulation comes into force on May 1, 1999.

    s. 24 · Checked

  • A person who wishes to obtain a livestock operation licence may apply to the Registrar on a form provided by the Registrar.

    s. 4(1) · Checked

Bird-flu housing orders

Current status needs rechecking

Check the official current-status page

Orders can change between checks. A missed check or an expired order does not establish that no order applies.

Housing-order finding as checked on 2026-10-26

The scope and conditions below are a dated record, not confirmation of today's position.

Conditions apply to this finding

Uses housing orders in this scope: Yes, according to the checked evidence, within the limits listed under “Outside this finding’s scope” below.

Jurisdiction: New Brunswick

Applies to: Quarantine orders by inspectors and livestock health control zone orders by the Chief Veterinary Officer under New Brunswick’s Livestock Health Act (in force 1 September 2024, consolidated to that date). Livestock means animals raised in a livestock facility and includes poultry, meaning domestic birds and fowl.

Outside this finding's scope

  • These powers depend on a reportable hazard. The sections read contain no general rule that birds must be kept indoors, and this finding does not establish that any order applies now.
  • Federal powers of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency were not read.

What the checked sources say

  • The Act applies to all livestock producers, including owners of livestock and anyone with care and control of livestock, and to anyone with care and control of livestock in a livestock facility, which includes a building used to confine or house livestock. It allows exclusions by regulation; none were found in General Regulation 2024-62.
  • If, during an inspection, an inspector has reasonable grounds to believe a reportable hazard is or may be present in a livestock facility or among livestock, the inspector may order the quarantine of that facility or livestock. The order may direct the producer to take any measures the inspector considers necessary to prevent the spread of the hazard among that livestock.
  • If the Chief Veterinary Officer has reasonable grounds to believe a reportable hazard is or may be present, the Chief Veterinary Officer may designate the province or a county as a livestock health control zone; the order may authorize, limit or exclude the presence of livestock in the zone.
  • Current mandatory housing status remains unconfirmed; check with the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries.
Checked
Recheck due

Historical evidence, as checked

These quotations record what was checked on the dates shown. They do not confirm an order's current status.

  • “livestock” means animals raised in a livestock facility and includes swine, cattle, sheep, goats, horses and poultry and any other animal prescribed by regulation.

    s. 1, livestock · Checked

  • “poultry” means domestic birds and fowl.

    s. 1, poultry · Checked

  • “livestock producer” means a person, whether an individual or a corporation, who (éleveur de bétail) ( a ) carries on livestock operation, ( b ) is an owner of livestock, or ( c ) has care and control of livestock.

    s. 1, livestock producer · Checked

  • “livestock facility” means a building used or intended to be used to confine or house livestock or a confined livestock area, and includes a structure or area used or intended to be used to store manure;

    Livestock Operations Act s. 1 (applied by Livestock Health Act s. 1) · Checked

  • “livestock facility” means a livestock facility as defined in the Livestock Operations Act .

    s. 1, livestock facility · Checked

  • 2 (1) Subject to subsection (2), this Act applies to all livestock producers and to any person having care and control of livestock in a livestock facility in the Province.

    s. 2(1) · Checked

  • 2 (2) This Act or any provision of the Act does not apply to ( a ) a person or class of persons prescribed by regulation,

    s. 2(2)(a) · Checked

  • If, during an inspection under this Act, an inspector has reasonable grounds to believe that a reportable hazard is or may be present in the livestock facility or a part of the livestock facility, among livestock or on equipment, an inspector may order the quarantine of that livestock facility, livestock or equipment.

    s. 24(1) · Checked

  • 24 (2) A quarantine order made under subsection (1) may direct a livestock producer to ( a ) take any measures the inspector considers necessary to prevent the spread of a reportable hazard among the livestock that is the subject of the order, and

    s. 24(2)(a) · Checked

  • 13 (1) If the Chief Veterinary Officer has reasonable grounds to believe that a reportable hazard is or may be present in the Province, the Chief Veterinary Officer may make an order designating the Province or any geographic area in the Province prescribed by regulation as a livestock health control zone

    s. 13(1) · Checked

  • 13 (2) An order made under subsection (1) may ( a ) authorize, limit or exclude the presence of livestock in the livestock health control zone,

    s. 13(2)(a) · Checked

  • For the purposes of subsection 13(1) of the Act, the counties of New Brunswick established in the Territorial Division Act are prescribed as the geographic areas in the Province.

    General Regulation 2024-62, s. 12 · Checked

  • This Regulation is consolidated to August 16, 2024.

    closing note · Checked

  • Avian Influenza Avian Flu Advisory Avian Influenza Protection

    Avian Influenza links · Checked

Small-flock welfare minimums

Conditions apply to this finding

Jurisdiction: New Brunswick

Applies to: New Brunswick’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (consolidated to 13 December 2023) and its General Regulation 2000-4 (consolidated to 1 January 2022), where “animal” means a non-human living being with a developed nervous system.

Outside this finding's scope

  • The codes and standards listed in Schedule A of the regulation were not read. Amendments after the consolidation dates shown were not checked.

What the checked sources say

  • A person who has ownership, possession or care and control of an animal must provide it with food, water, shelter and care in accordance with the regulations.
  • Under the regulation, that person must ensure an adequate source of food and water, provide adequate medical attention when the animal is wounded or ill, and provide reasonable protection from injurious heat or cold.
  • That person must not confine the animal to an enclosure, area or motor vehicle that might reasonably be expected to threaten its health or well-being because of inadequate space, unsanitary conditions, inadequate ventilation, another animal that may pose a danger to it, lack of opportunity for exercise, or a state of disrepair.
  • No one may be convicted of the offence for treating an animal in a way consistent with a standard or code listed in Schedule A, consistent with generally accepted practices for the activity, or otherwise reasonable in the circumstances.

The official wording

  • 19 (1) A person who has ownership, possession or care and control of an animal shall provide the animal with food, water, shelter and care in accordance with the regulations.

    s. 19(1) · Checked

  • “animal” means a non-human living being with a developed nervous system;

    s. 2(2), animal · Checked

  • 4 (1) For the purpose of subsection 19(1) of the Act, a person who has ownership, possession or care and control of an animal (a) shall ensure that the animal has an adequate source of food and water;

    s. 4(1)(a) · Checked

  • ( b ) shall provide the animal with adequate medical attention when the animal is wounded or ill;

    s. 4(1)(b) · Checked

  • ( c ) shall provide the animal with reasonable protection from injurious heat or cold;

    s. 4(1)(c) · Checked

  • ( d ) shall not confine the animal to an enclosure, area or motor vehicle that might reasonably be expected to threaten the animal’s health or well-being due to

    s. 4(1)(d) · Checked

  • (i ) inadequate space, (ii ) unsanitary conditions, (iii ) inadequate ventilation, (iv ) the presence of another animal that may pose a danger to it, (v ) lack of opportunity for exercise, or (vi ) a state of disrepair.

    s. 4(1)(d)(i)-(vi) · Checked

  • A person shall not be convicted of an offence under subsection 19(2) of the Act for treating an animal in a manner

    s. 4(2) · Checked

  • ( a ) consistent with a standard or code of conduct, practice or procedure specified in Schedule A, ( b ) consistent with generally accepted practices or procedures for such an activity, or ( c ) otherwise reasonable in the circumstances.

    s. 4(2)(a)-(c) · Checked

  • This Act is consolidated to December 13, 2023.

    closing note · Checked

  • This Regulation is consolidated to January 1, 2022.

    closing note · Checked

Rules on keeping poultry

Conditions apply to this finding

Jurisdiction: New Brunswick

Applies to: The by-law powers of New Brunswick local governments (municipalities, rural communities and regional municipalities) under the Local Governance Act (consolidated to 15 September 2026), and the province’s regulation-making power for areas without such a by-law.

Outside this finding's scope

  • No province-wide permission for or ban on backyard chickens was found in the sections read. Regulations made under section 191(1)(z), the Community Planning Act, the province’s “right to farm” law and local by-laws were not read.

What the checked sources say

  • A local government may make by-laws for municipal purposes respecting wild, domestic and exotic animals and activities in relation to them, including animal control activities.
  • The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may make regulations governing animal control services, including the keeping of animals, in a rural district and in a rural community or regional municipality that has not made its own by-law for that service.
  • Check with your local government (municipality, rural community or regional municipality), or, in a rural district, with the provincial government.

The official wording

  • “local government” means a municipality, rural community or regional municipality.

    s. 1, local government · Checked

  • 10 (1) Subject to this Act, without limiting the generality of section 6, a local government may make by-laws for municipal purposes respecting

    s. 10(1) · Checked

  • ( k ) wild, domestic and exotic animals and activities in relation to them, including animal control activities;

    s. 10(1)(k) · Checked

  • 191 (1) The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may make regulations

    s. 191(1) · Checked

  • ( z ) governing the provision of animal control services in a rural community or regional municipality that has not made a by-law authorizing that service under section 10 and in a rural district, including, without limitation, (i ) animal control, (ii ) the keeping of animals, including prohibiting the keeping of animals at large,

    s. 191(1)(z) · Checked

  • This Act is consolidated to September 15, 2026.

    closing note · Checked

Selling eggs in New Brunswick, Canada? →Licence, small-flock line, markets and cartons, on their own page.Selling: No licence

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Common questions

Do I have to register backyard chickens in New Brunswick, Canada?
Registration: conditions apply. The finding covers: New Brunswick’s Livestock Health Act (registry of livestock producers) and General Regulation 2024-62, the Livestock Operations Act and its General Regulation 99-32 (operation licences), and the province’s January 2024 backyard poultry guide and June 2024 premises identification form, as read on 26 October 2026. Livestock operation licence: an operation with fewer than twenty livestock other than poultry and fewer than two hundred poultry is exempt. Outside this finding's scope: No duty for poultry keepers to enrol in premises identification was found in the Livestock Health Act sections read or in General Regulation 2024-62. That is not proof that no such duty exists. Registration does not give permission to keep chickens at a particular property. Exemptions and their limits: Exempt from the Livestock Operations Act and its regulation, among the exemptions in section 4 of the regulation: an operation with fewer than twenty livestock other than poultry and fewer than two hundred poultry; an operation that does not have or use a livestock facility; and an operation already carried on immediately before the regulation came into force on 1 May 1999, if it meets the conditions in section 4(2) (for example, it has not ceased or suspended operation for more than two years). Authority: Livestock operation licences: the Registrar under the Livestock Operations Act. Livestock Premise Identification (LPID): the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries, according to the province’s backyard poultry guide.
Can I keep chickens in my backyard in New Brunswick, Canada?
The law we read gives a named local body its own powers over where hens can live. A local government may make by-laws for municipal purposes respecting wild, domestic and exotic animals and activities in relation to them, including animal control activities. The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may make regulations governing animal control services, including the keeping of animals, in a rural district and in a rural community or regional municipality that has not made its own by-law for that service. Check with your local government (municipality, rural community or regional municipality), or, in a rural district, with the provincial government. No province-wide permission for or ban on backyard chickens was found in the sections read. Regulations made under section 191(1)(z), the Community Planning Act, the province’s “right to farm” law and local by-laws were not read. Look up the local rules where you live (the ordinances, bylaws or zoning of the body named here), or ask that office, before you get hens.
Do I have to keep my hens indoors for bird flu in New Brunswick, Canada?
Housing orders come and go, so we never show one as current. This page links the official status page to check today.

Allowed where you live? Then keep the records.

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