New requirements for chicken breeders

From early 2026, any new cage infrastructure for breeder chickens must have furnishings. These include:

• perches or platforms
• nest areas
• abrasive devices or an area for scratching. Cages must have at least 1 of the following:
• Scratch areas.
• Claw shortening devices.
• Substrate (such as litter).

Note: In Victoria, cage producers  can choose the scratching option that best suits their set up.

Any new cage infrastructure for breeder chickens must meet new space allowance requirements. Cages must:

• meet a minimum height to allow hens to stand naturally
• have a minimum floor space of 1,000 cm2 for a single chicken
• have a minimum floor space of 750 cm2 per chicken when there are 2 or more in a cage.

As proposed in the national standards by 2036, all cages must meet these requirements. Conventional cages will no longer be permitted for use. More information about when all cages will need to meet these requirements in Victoria will be available shortly.

Note: specific requirements for furnishings and substrate are listed below.

Furnishing requirements apply across the different types of production systems. The timing for introducing them depends on the type of system.

Perches and platforms

• By 2032, existing flat deck barns must meet the requirements. Note: “existing” refers to infrastructure that is in place before Victoria’s regulations begin in early 2026.
• By 2036, all cages must meet the requirements (as proposed in the national standards).
• All other systems must meet the requirements when Victoria’s regulations begin in early 2026.

Breeder chickens must be provided with:

• perches and or platforms from 8 days of age
• they must have a minimum of 15cm perch or platform space per chicken. This is a current recommendation², which will be mandatory (legally required) in Victoria.
• perches and platforms must be constructed, positioned and maintained to:
  • be raised and not flush with the floor
  • allow birds to always access them, except during the first week of their life, on the day of pick-up or during litter conditioning
  • allow birds to perch in a normal posture and provide appropriate support for their feet
  • minimise the risk of injury to birds
  • minimise vent pecking by birds below and behind, and soiling of birds below.

Scratch area or claw-shortening devices

• Breeder chickens must have access to abrasive devices or areas for scratching.
• Breeder chickens in free-range systems already meet this requirement. This is because they have access to an outdoor area where they can scratch.
• Breeder chickens in barn systems must be provided with scratch areas or claw-shortening devices.
• For scratching requirements for chickens in cages, view ‘Cage infrastructure for breeder chickens’ in the drop down above.

Nest areas

• By early 2026, breeder chickens in all systems must be provided with nest areas that they can access from point of lay. This excludes breeder chickens in existing cages, which will be required by 2036 (as proposed in the national standards).
• If there is a single nest area, there must be enough space for the bird to enter, sit, turnaround and exit.
• From point of lay, there must be a minimum of:
  • 1 nest area for every 7 chickens
  • or 1 m² nesting area for every 120 chickens.

• Chickens in barns must have access to substrate.
• Producers with chickens in free-range systems already meet this requirement.
• For substrate requirements for chickens in cages, view ‘Cage infrastructure for breeder chickens’ in the first drop down.

Note: substrate is a loose or friable material suitable for chickens to peck, forage and scratch. For example, it can include:

• feed pellets
• organic litter materials, such as wood shavings, rice hulls, chopped straw or sawdust
• grass, soil or dirt on an outdoor range (such as in a free-range system)
• pecking blocks or stones.

• Chickens must not be exposed to continuous light or darkness for any 24-hour period. This is except for chicks raised under heat lamps or in brooders.
• Chickens must be provided with a minimum of 6 hours of darkness for any 24-hour period. This includes an uninterrupted period of darkness of at least 4 hours except:
  • for chickens up to 16 weeks of age
  • to prevent huddling or clumping during very hot weather
  • on the day of pick-up (the day hens are removed at the end of their production cycle)
  • during a disease outbreak under veterinary supervision.

• Chicks up to 1 week old must have a minimum of 1 hour of continuous darkness for any 24-hour period. This is except when raised under heat lamps or in brooders.
• Sheds must have a light intensity of at least 10 lux at bird level during light periods. This is except under veterinary supervision to control an outbreak of pecking or cannibalism.

Note: light intensity during light periods for chicks for the first 3 days after hatching must be at least 20 lux at bird level. This is a current recommendation², which will be mandatory (legally required) in Victoria.

Ventilation

For chickens housed in sheds, ammonia levels must be monitored and recorded daily. Corrective action must be taken if levels exceed 15 ppm at bird level.

Actions to reduce ammonia levels can include:

• ensuring ventilation is operating effectively
• keeping litter dry
• reducing stocking densities.

Note: records can be in any format (written or digital). They must be kept for a minimum of 2 years.

Mechanically ventilated sheds must:

• be fitted with a back-up power supply, tested using the manufacturer’s recommendations

• have an automatic alarm system that immediately warns of ventilation failure.

Corrective action must be taken if there are ventilation faults.

Stocking densities

More information about stocking density requirements for breeders in barns, fixed free-range systems or mobile housing, will be available shortly. For space allowance requirements for chickens in cages, view the first drop down on this page, ‘Cage infrastructure for chicken breeders ’.

Chickens must have enough space to:

• stand
• turnaround
• flap their wings
• all sit at the same time.

• The vertical space between levels (bottom of 1 level to the bottom of the next) must be a minimum of 45 cm. This does not include nest boxes, perches and platforms. Chickens must be able to easily access each level.
• Workers must be able to access all levels. This is to observe and reach chickens if they are sick or injured.

Remember, as per the existing requirements ¹:

• feed and water facilities must be distributed to provide access to all chickens
• housing must be arranged to minimise manure and litter falling onto chickens.

These changes apply to chickens that can access outdoor range areas external to fixed or mobile sheds.

Reasonable action must be taken to minimise access to poultry feed and drinking water by wild birds. This helps prevent the spread of diseases.

Chickens with access to an outdoor area must be encouraged to use it by being provided with:

• a reasonable number and size of access points
• access to appropriately located shade
• shelter from predators
• opportunities for birds to forage and scratch.

Note: chickens must be adequately feathered before going outdoors.

These changes are for chickens in all types of production systems.

Caring for hatchlings

• Incubators must be monitored during hatching.
• Hatchlings that are found outside the trays must be quickly returned to the tray or placed in brooders.

Feather removal and moulting restrictions

• Induced moulting (artificially forcing chickens to moult) must not be practiced. This is unless it is approved by a relevant Government minister or their delegate.
• Chickens must not be plucked. An exception is to remove a small area of feathers for a medical or surgical procedure.

Trimming, dubbing and despurring restrictions

• Hot blade beak trimming must not be used, except in specified circumstances and under veterinary advice.
• Infrared beak trimming must be done within 24 hours from take-off (removal of recently hatched chicks from incubator).
• Dubbing (removal of the comb, wattles or earlobes of poultry) must not be performed for cosmetic purposes.
• Toe trimming and dubbing can only be performed on day old hatchlings selected as potential breeders (except under veterinary advice).
• Despurring (removal of spurs) and web marking can only be performed on day old hatchlings selected as potential breeders.

If it is permitted and necessary to carry out a painful procedure on chickens, such as trimming an older bird’s beak, appropriate pain relief must be administered. This is where a suitable product is registered and available.

A written contingency plan must be developed. This is to minimise the impact of adverse events on chicken welfare in all types of production systems.  

Adverse events relate to extreme weather, natural disasters, disease, injury and predation. They can include:

• electrical power or systems failure
• breakdown or mechanical failure affecting feed, water or ventilation
• adverse weather, specifically conditions that expose chickens to heat or cold stress
• fire and flood
• insufficient supply of feed or water
• disease outbreak or injury
• emergency killing and disposal
• other issues specific to the enterprise or chickens being managed.

When it is necessary to kill chickens outside of a slaughtering establishment, a person must:

• have the relevant knowledge, experience and skills to be able to humanely kill a chicken or be under the direct supervision of someone who does. This is unless the chicken is suffering and needs to be killed to prevent undue suffering or if there is an unreasonable delay until direct supervision is available.
• take reasonable action to confirm the chicken is dead
• not use equipment that crushes the chicken’s neck
• not spin the chicken by their head to cause cervical dislocation.

Note: the humane killing of chickens is necessary if they are suffering from severe distress, disease or injury. This is where the chicken cannot be reasonably treated, or there is no prospect of recovery. Killing chickens should be done promptly, safely and humanely.

Requirements until early 2026

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Domestic Fowl) Regulations 2016¹  set out the mandatory (legal) requirements.

Recommendations until early 2026

The Victorian Code of Accepted Farming Practice for the Welfare of Poultry² includes guidance.

Requirements from early 2026

New poultry welfare regulations will replace the current Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Domestic Fowl) Regulations 2016. These regulations will introduce new mandatory (legal) requirements for keeping and housing chickens.

Recommendations from early 2026

The guidelines in the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry will provide the recommended practices.

The Victorian Code of Accepted Farming Practice for the Welfare of Poultry will no longer apply.

Note: many of the current recommendations will now become mandatory (legal) requirements under the new regulations.