Keeping hens · National rules

Can you keep backyard chickens in Denmark?

Registration is required for the keepers covered below. The national keeping rule, and the bird-flu and welfare rules, follow.

Read from 4 official sources11 passages quotedChecked October 8, 2026

At a glance

Registering your flock

Registration required

National keeping rule

Not established

Bird-flu housing orders

Status needs rechecking

Welfare rules

Rule identified

A sourced reading of national law in Denmark, not legal advice. Local ordinances and zoning, HOA rules, and any local rooster or coop limits aren't covered here yet: check your local code before you get hens.

Keeping your flock

These findings cover the national or state 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

Rule identified for the scope below

Jurisdiction: Denmark

Applies to: Holdings of hens and the other listed poultry species.

Outside this finding's scope

  • The CHR exemption below 100 birds applies only when every listed condition is met.

What the checked sources say

  • The agency says holdings of hens and other listed poultry species must be registered in CHR.
  • Its exemption applies only below 100 birds when eggs, meat and other products are used solely in the keeper’s own household, no live animals, germinal products or products are moved away, and none are received from or sent to other countries.
  • Even an otherwise exempt flock must register while it is inside a restriction zone set up for bird flu or another infectious disease; registration can end when the zone is lifted.
  • Movement records must be updated within seven days and kept for at least three years.
  • The agency charges CHR registration fees separately from welfare-control levies; the amount for a small flock is not established.

Thresholds

  • CHR exemption only below 100 birds, with all listed conditions met.

Exemptions and their limits

  • Below 100 birds, products for the own household only, no movements away and no international receipts or dispatches.

Authority: Fødevarestyrelsen (CHR)

Fee: Not established from the sources checked.

The official wording

  • Besætninger med arterne høns, kalkuner, perlehøns, ænder, gæs, vagtler, duer, fasaner, agerhøns, stenhøns, rødhøns eller strudsefugle skal registreres i CHR.

    Du skal registrere dit hold..., species paragraph · Checked

  • Undtagelsen fra registrering i CHR vil gælde, hvis du har under 100 dyr, og alle nedenstående betingelser gør sig gældende:

    Undtagelse fra registreringspligten i CHR, opening · Checked

  • Selvom du eventuelt er undtaget fra registrering af dit hold af fjerkræ eller fugle i fangenskab i CHR, jf. ovenstående, skal du altid registrere dit hold af fjerkræ eller fugle i fangenskab i CHR, hvis besætningen er placeret i en restriktionszone, der er oprettet i forbindelse med udbrud af fugleinfluenza eller anden smitsom sygdom.

    Du skal registrere...under udbrud..., first sentence · Checked

  • Du skal ajourføre fortegnelserne senest syv dage efter flytningen. Du skal opbevare fortegnelserne i mindst tre år efter, at hændelsen fandt sted.

    Du skal føre fortegnelser..., second paragraph · Checked

  • Det drejer sig om gebyrer og afgifter for: registreringer i CHR finansiering af dyrevelfærdskontrol finansiering af Vetstat

    Fødevarestyrelsen fakturerer..., list opening · 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 2026-10-08

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

Rule identified for the scope below

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

Jurisdiction: Denmark

Applies to: Poultry and captive birds inside protection and surveillance zones set by Fødevarestyrelsen.

Outside this finding's scope

  • Which zones apply today, and any nationwide housing order, are not established.

What the checked sources say

  • After an outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu in poultry or captive birds, Fødevarestyrelsen sets up protection and surveillance zones with special restrictions.
  • In the protection zone, poultry must be kept apart from other animals and protected from contact with wild animals.
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.

Small-flock welfare minimums

Rule identified for the scope below

Jurisdiction: Denmark

Applies to: Hens kept as hobby animals or on farms (agency guidance).

Outside this finding's scope

  • The underlying welfare statute was not captured.

What the checked sources say

  • The agency says hens must be treated with care and have good welfare whether kept as hobby animals or on farms.
  • Keepers must provide feed, water, care and a house, arranged so the hens have the freedom of movement they need, including when eating, drinking and resting.
  • Hens must be protected from weather and wind, with access to a sheltered space with a fixed roof or covering.
  • Feeding household vegetable and animal kitchen leftovers is prohibited; produce coming directly from the garden may be fed.

The official wording

  • Høns skal have det godt. Det gælder, uanset om de holdes som hobbydyr, eller om der er tale om egentlige landbrug. Det betyder, at dine høns skal behandles omsorgsfuldt, og du skal sørge for god dyrevelfærd.

    Indretning og dyrevelfærd, first paragraph · Checked

  • Når man holder høns, skal man sørge for foder, vand, pasning og et hus til dyrene. Rum eller arealer, hvor dine høns holdes, skal indrettes på en sådan måde, at deres behov tilgodeses. Det skal herunder sikres, at hønsene har den fornødne bevægelsesfrihed – også når de spiser, drikker eller hviler sig.

    Indretning og dyrevelfærd, housing paragraph · Checked

  • Dine høns skal endvidere sikres mod vejr og vind, hvorfor de skal have adgang til et rum i læ og fast tag eller overdækning.

    Indretning og dyrevelfærd, weather sentence · Checked

  • Det er forbudt at fodre høns med vegetabilske og animalske madrester fra husholdningen, fordi der kan være en risiko for, at man overfører smitsomme dyresygdomme fra resterne til sine høns.

    Forbud mod at fodre høns med køkkenaffald · Checked

National or state rules on keeping poultry

Not established from the sources checked

Jurisdiction: Denmark

Applies to: Keeping chickens at a property.

Selling eggs in Denmark? →License, small-flock line, markets and cartons, on their own page.Selling: Registration

More countries we've checked

Every country on the map →

Common questions

Do I have to register backyard chickens in Denmark?
Registration: required. The finding covers: Holdings of hens and the other listed poultry species. CHR exemption only below 100 birds, with all listed conditions met. Outside this finding's scope: The CHR exemption below 100 birds applies only when every listed condition is met. Exemptions and their limits: Below 100 birds, products for the own household only, no movements away and no international receipts or dispatches. Authority: Fødevarestyrelsen (CHR).
Can I keep chickens in my backyard in Denmark?
The national 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 Denmark?
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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