West Baton Rouge Parish Shelter and Animal Control is urging residents to brush up on their bird and bee laws before starting a backyard farm.
“What often happens is they’ll let chickens out, the chickens go roaming around the neighborhood, they’re in other people’s flower beds, they’re running across their yards, they’re resting on their cars and pooping on the cars, and then we’ll get a complaint call about it,” said George Bragg, superintendent of mosquito and animal control in the parish.
Recently impounded geese and ducks mill about their enclosure at the West Baton Rouge Parish Shelter and Animal Control.Â
In 2024, 11 million Americans owned backyard chickens, according to American Pet Products Association data. was up 28% from 2023.
Reflecting national trends, West Baton Rouge Parish is handling more animal-related complaints than ever before, Bragg said. The violations most often involve chickens and bees, but he has also seen Guinea fowl, ducks and geese.
“Up until two or three years ago, we didn’t even have a place to house those kinds of animals,” Bragg said. “And now we’ve put up chicken coops on the premises (so) that we can house them when we impound those animals, because we are getting more calls.”
Bragg said he thought the uptick might stem from greater food supply anxiety, brought on by the price of eggs and the ongoing pain of .
In a Facebook post on the animal control account addressing the parish, he wrote that concerns over quantity, quality and pricing of food have led more residents to take up hobby farming.
“They’re looking to do things organically in their backyard,” Bragg said.
What to know about the birds and the bees
Before starting a farm on their property, residents should be aware of local ordinances and state law for owning animals, Bragg said. The West Baton Rouge Code of Ordinances prohibits keeping bees, chickens and other fowl in a residential subdivision on a lot of 1 acre or less.
The ordinances apply upon receiving a complaint, Bragg said, often over noise, roaming or odor.
“If you’re in a residential subdivision, you’re on a quarter-acre lot, you have houses right next to you, that’s not the proper place for that to be happening,” he said.
In the event of a complaint, the department issues a warning notice. If it is a continued nuisance, Bragg said, animal control can seize the animals.
He emphasized that the department does not want to discourage hobby farming but instead focuses on education.
“I get it — the fresh chicken eggs, fresh meat, that kind of thing,” Bragg said. "I think it’s great. I just want people to be aware of the ordinances.”