Can you keep chickens in Township of Downe, NJ?
Yes in the R-1, R-2 and V-1 zones, where Downe's zoning permits farming and defines agriculture to include raising poultry. In R-1, manure cannot be stored within 100 feet of any property line.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No stated limit |
| Roosters | Not specified |
| Permit | Not specified |
| Coop setback | Manure storage 100 ft from property lines (R-1) |
| Lot size | No minimum stated |
| Ducks | Not addressed in the code |
Good to know
- Agriculture is defined to include the raising or breeding of poultry.
- R-1 permits customary and conventional farming; R-2 permits farms; V-1 and V-2 allow the R-1 agricultural uses.
- Uses not listed need a use variance.
- Source is the 1979 zoning ordinance as revised in 2000, posted as a scanned PDF; Downe does not publish a codified code online, so animal or health ordinances could not be checked.
What about ducks?
Probably treated like chickens, since Downe allows raising poultry as agriculture in the R-1, R-2 and V-1 zones, but the ordinance never defines poultry or mentions ducks. Confirm with the township.
Section 201 (Agriculture); Sections 501-503: "the raising or breeding of poultry and livestock" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Township of Downe?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Cumberland County and all of New Jersey, sized to your flock and built to your town's rules.
In an HOA? The town allowing hens is not the same as your association allowing them. What an HOA can and cannot stop.
New to this? Start with how to raise chickens in NJ, or what a coop costs.
Chicken rules in nearby Cumberland County towns
Compare them side by side in the Cumberland County table.
Ready to keep your flock safe?
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