Rooster owners in Hobsons Bay will not need a permit to keep their feathered friends if local laws are revised as proposed.
At Tuesday night’s council meeting, councillors voted for no change to rooster local laws, rejecting an officer’s recommendation that would have required owners to apply for a permit.
The report proposed that a council officer inspect chicken coups to ensure compliance with local laws and notify adjoining neighbours, seeking written confirmation that they don’t object to a rooster.
As reported by Star Weekly, Seaholme’s Diana Rice has made a submission opposing any ban on keeping roosters.
Ms Rice manages the crowing of her silver-spangled Hamburg, named Jack, by putting him in a box each night.
The council received 18 complaints about crowing roosters last year. Ms Rice said this represented one complaint for every 1700 households – and none were about Jack.
The council officer’s report did not propose a total ban on roosters, unlike most metropolitan councils.
“The majority of inner metropolitan councils prohibit the keeping of roosters and, in some cases, penalties apply,” the report stated. It proposed that, using the revised law, the council would investigate any rooster noise complaint.
“According to research … crowing is activated by a rooster’s circadian rhythm … rather than by light. This means that a rooster will still crow if kept in total darkness, although the crowing may be reduced,” it stated.
