A clucking controversy.
A New Jersey shore community has banned roosters, arguing that the birds’ loud and unpredictable crowing has harmed public health and disrupted residents’ well-being in the otherwise quiet neighborhood.
The Brick Township Council voted unanimously on Oct. 13 to prohibit male chickens from crowing within the municipality after noise complaints continued to pile up.
The ordinance amended Brick’s existing rules governing the keeping and housing of animals. All seven council members supported the measure, which bans roosters throughout the Ocean County township.
Complaints about roosters began increasing over the past six years, as more homeowners took up chicken-raising during the COVID-19 lockdowns and sought a supply of homegrown eggs.
The council determined that rooster noise could negatively affect public safety and health because the birds crow repeatedly and unpredictably. Officials also cited the disruption to the “quiet enjoyment of neighboring residential properties,” particularly compared with other domesticated fowl such as hens.
Under the new ordinance, Brick residents may not “own, harbor, raise, breed or possess” a rooster anywhere inside the township.
Residents who already owned a rooster before the ban took effect may keep it, but they must obtain a permit from the zoning office and house the bird in an approved structure for the remainder of its life.
Those owners may not replace the rooster or add another one after the animal dies, is sold or is removed.
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The decision drew criticism from some residents and even prompted one council member to question why local officials were devoting time to a ban on the birds.
“I’ve never heard a rooster, and they should have more important things to worry about,” Brick resident Mike Smith said, according to News12.
“I still can’t believe we’re voting on this,” Councilman Gregory Cohen said during the meeting. “There’s so much important stuff going on here and we’re talking about roosters.”
Other residents pushed back at Cohen, describing nearby roosters as persistent nuisances that remain active throughout the day.
“It sounds comical, but let me tell you, if you have a rooster next door to your house, it is serious,” resident Onofrio Ambrosino said.
“It is funny until you’re woken up at five o’clock in the morning and you hear them all day,” another resident, Patricia Schucht, told Cohen during the meeting.
Before the ordinance passed, frustrated residents had limited options. Owning a rooster was legal, and the township’s noise ordinance could be enforced only if a responding police officer personally witnessed the alleged disturbance.
Although the new ban took effect immediately, roosters will remain in some Brick neighborhoods for years. The birds typically live between five and eight years, while some can reach 15 years, according to Four Paws USA.
Some owners said their roosters serve a purpose beyond acting as noisy alarm clocks: They help protect hens and chicks from predators such as foxes and hawks.
