Keeping hens · Province rules

Can you keep backyard chickens in Saskatchewan, Canada?

The Government of Saskatchewan says all poultry producers must register with the Provincial Premises ID system, however few birds they have; who exactly must register wasn't established from the law itself.

Read from 5 official sources19 passages quotedChecked October 26, 2026

At a glance

Registering your flock

Conditions apply

Province keeping rule

Not established

Bird-flu housing orders

Status needs rechecking

Welfare rules

Rule with conditions

A sourced reading of the law in Saskatchewan, 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: Saskatchewan

Applies to: Saskatchewan’s Provincial Premises Identification (PID) system, as described on the Government of Saskatchewan’s avian influenza and premises identification pages read on 26 October 2026. The PID page says premises identification is legislated provincially through The Animal Production Act and The Animal Production Regulations; this finding does not rest on the text of that legislation.

Outside this finding's scope

  • Registration does not give permission to keep chickens at a particular property.
  • Who exactly must register, by when, and any exemptions were not established from the legislation itself.

What the checked sources say

  • The province’s avian influenza page says all species of poultry are designated livestock animals in Saskatchewan, so all poultry producers are required to register with the Provincial Premises Identification (PID) system, no matter how many or how few birds they have.
  • The PID page says the owner or operator of a regulated animal kept at a premises or site should register, and lists poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese) among regulated animals.
  • Registration help: Agriculture Knowledge Centre, 1-866-457-2377.

Thresholds

  • The province’s avian influenza page says registration applies no matter how many or how few birds a poultry producer has.

Authority: Saskatchewan Provincial Premises Identification (PID) system; registration help from the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, 1-866-457-2377

Fee: Not established from the sources checked.

The official wording

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.

Not established from the sources checked

Uses housing orders in this scope: Not established from the sources checked.

Jurisdiction: Saskatchewan

Applies to: Saskatchewan’s provincial order-making power for animal disease control, as described in a 2022 government release. The statute itself (The Animal Health Act) was not read.

Outside this finding's scope

  • Because the Act’s text was not read, whether it lets the province quarantine or confine poultry, or order care for them, was not established. This finding does not establish that any order applies now, or that none does.
  • Federal powers of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency were not read.

What the checked sources say

  • A government release of 14 April 2022 says the provincial Chief Veterinary Officer has authority to make orders for disease prevention and control under section 2-5 of The Animal Health Act.
  • Current mandatory housing status remains unconfirmed; check with the Chief Veterinary Officer (Ministry of Agriculture).
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.

  • Released on April 14, 2022

    release date · Checked

  • The provincial Chief Veterinary Officer has authority to make orders for the purposes of disease prevention and control under Section 2-5 of The Animal Health Act .

    closing paragraph · Checked

Small-flock welfare minimums

Conditions apply to this finding

Jurisdiction: Saskatchewan

Applies to: The Animal Protection Act, 2018, as summarised on the Government of Saskatchewan’s Animal Cruelty Reporting page read on 26 October 2026; this finding does not rest on the Act’s own text. The page’s summary covers persons responsible for an animal, including an owner and anyone with custody or control.

Outside this finding's scope

  • The province introduced The Animal Protection Amendment Act, 2025 on 19 November 2025; whether it has passed or come into force was not established. The Act’s own text, its regulations and any codes of practice were not quoted for this finding.

What the checked sources say

  • The page says that, according to The Animal Protection Act, 2018, those responsible for animals must ensure the animal is provided with food and water sufficient to maintain it in a state of good health, provide adequate veterinary care or medical attention when it is wounded or ill, and provide adequate shelter and reasonable protection from injurious heat or cold.
  • They must not significantly impair the animal’s health or well-being by confining it to an enclosure or area with inadequate space, unsanitary conditions, inadequate ventilation or lighting, or without an opportunity for exercise. A person responsible for an animal for which a standard, code of practice or guideline is prescribed as acceptable is deemed to have complied if they have complied with it.
  • The page says persons responsible include a person who owns an animal or has custody or control of it, and that an animal is not considered to be in distress if it is handled consistently with a prescribed standard, code of practice or guideline, in accordance with generally accepted practices of animal management, or in a manner that is otherwise responsible in the circumstances.

The official wording

  • According to The Animal Protection Act, 2018, the following are a list of duties that are required for those responsible for animals:

    Animal Care Duties · Checked

  • Ensure that the animal is provided with food and water sufficient to maintain the animal in a state of good health; Provide the animal with adequate veterinary care or medical attention when the animal is wounded or ill;

    Animal Care Duties, list · Checked

  • Provide the animal with adequate shelter and reasonable protection from injurious heat or cold; and

    Animal Care Duties, list · Checked

  • Not significantly impair the animal's health or well-being by confining the animal to an enclosure or area: With inadequate space; With unsanitary conditions; With inadequate ventilation or lighting; or Without providing an opportunity for exercise.

    Animal Care Duties, list · Checked

  • A person responsible for an animal for which there is a standard, code of practice or guideline that is prescribed as acceptable is deemed to have complied with subsection (1) if that person has complied with the standard, code of practice or guideline.

    Animal Care Duties, after the list · Checked

  • The Animal Protection Act, 2018 indicates that the following are considered persons responsible: A person who owns an animal; A person who has custody or control of an animal; or

    Definitions, Person responsible for an animal · Checked

  • Notwithstanding anything in the Act, an animal is not considered to be in distress if it is handled:

    Recognizing livestock in distress · Checked

  • In the case of a class of animals for which there is a standard, code of practice or guideline that is prescribed as acceptable, in a manner consistent with the standard, code of practice or guideline that is prescribed as acceptable;

    Recognizing livestock in distress, list · Checked

  • In accordance with generally accepted practices of animal management; or In a manner that is otherwise responsible in the circumstances.

    Recognizing livestock in distress, list · Checked

  • is enforced by animal protection officers as described in the Act.

    Enforcement of The Animal Protection Act, 2018 · Checked

  • Released on November 19, 2025 Today, the Government of Saskatchewan introduced The Animal Protection Amendment Act, 2025 , which will strengthen and create more transparency and public accountability around animal welfare enforcement.

    release date and opening · Checked

Rules on keeping poultry

Not established from the sources checked

Jurisdiction: Saskatchewan

Applies to: Whether Saskatchewan sets a province-wide rule on keeping chickens, or leaves it to municipalities, was not established for this finding.

Outside this finding's scope

  • No provincial statute or local bylaw is cited for this finding, so it does not establish any province-wide permission, ban or limit on keeping chickens, or which body sets local rules. This is not proof that no such rule exists.
Selling eggs in Saskatchewan, Canada? →Licence, small-flock line, markets and cartons, on their own page.Selling: Licence: depends

Elsewhere in Canada

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Common questions

Do I have to register backyard chickens in Saskatchewan, Canada?
Registration: conditions apply. The finding covers: Saskatchewan’s Provincial Premises Identification (PID) system, as described on the Government of Saskatchewan’s avian influenza and premises identification pages read on 26 October 2026. The PID page says premises identification is legislated provincially through The Animal Production Act and The Animal Production Regulations; this finding does not rest on the text of that legislation. The province’s avian influenza page says registration applies no matter how many or how few birds a poultry producer has. Outside this finding's scope: Registration does not give permission to keep chickens at a particular property. Who exactly must register, by when, and any exemptions were not established from the legislation itself. Authority: Saskatchewan Provincial Premises Identification (PID) system; registration help from the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, 1-866-457-2377.
Can I keep chickens in my backyard in Saskatchewan, Canada?
The sources we read don't settle it, and we haven't identified who decides. Check your local rules before you get hens.
Do I have to keep my hens indoors for bird flu in Saskatchewan, 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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