Birds & Poultry

Noisy birds

Noisy birds include cacophonous birds of the galah, cockatoo, magpie, peacock or currawong variety, but not roosters.

Within the Cairns Regional Council rating district, it is prohibited to keep noisy birds on any allotment less than 800m2.

If your allotment is between 800m2 and 10,000m2, you are permitted to keep one noisy bird without application to Council. If you wish to keep more than one noisy bird on allotments between 800m2 and 10,000m2, the intended keeper must first apply to Council's Animal Management Unit for approval. This is a requirement of Cairns Regional Council Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011 and Cairns Regional Council Subordinate Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011.

After we receive your application, a Council officer will make contact with you to complete the application. Approval may or may not be given, depending the officer's investigations.

If your allotment is 10,000m2 or larger, you may keep noisy birds without a permit.

Poultry

Poultry includes any species of chicken (including bantam chickens), geese, ducks, guinea fowls, turkeys, pheasants or quails.

Under Cairns Regional Council Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011 and Cairns Regional Council Subordinate Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011, it is prohibited to keep poultry on any allotment less than 450m2.

Above that allotment size, you are permitted to keep varying amounts of poultry depending on the size of the allotment:

  • If your allotment is between 450m2 to 800m2 – you may keep up to 6 poultry without an approval.
  • If your allotment is between 801m2 to 2,000m2 – you may keep up to 9 poultry without an approval.
  • If your allotment is between 2,001m2 to 10,000m2 – you may keep up to 12 poultry without an approval

If you wish to keep more poultry than is permitted according to your allotment size, you need to first apply to Council’s Animal Management Unit for approval.

Roosters

Roosters are a separate issue and are prohibited outright on any allotment less than 10,000m2 throughout the Cairns Regional Council area.