Backyard chickens in Wake Forest, North Carolina

Yes — the Town of Wake Forest allows residents to keep backyard hens. In 2008 the Board of Commissioners amended the town's animal ordinance (Code of Ordinances, Ch. 6 – Animals) to permit up to 10 hens per residential property.

Under the Wake Forest ordinance, chickens are allowed, with a maximum of 10 chickens allowed, roosters are not allowed, and no permit is required. Wake Forest allows up to 10 female chickens and no permit is required.

Note: many Wake Forest subdivisions have HOA covenants that separately restrict or prohibit poultry regardless of the town ordinance, so residents should also check their HOA rules before starting a flock.

Wake Forest sits in the North Carolina Piedmont and experiences hot, humid summers (frequently in the 90s°F) and mild, occasionally freezing winters. Coops should prioritize summer ventilation and shade as much as winter wind protection, since heat stress is typically the bigger seasonal risk for flocks in this region.

Wake Forest's mix of wooded greenways, creeks, and suburban lots supports healthy populations of raccoons, foxes, hawks, owls, and opossums, all of which will readily target unsecured coops or free-ranging birds. Rat snakes are also common in the warm months and are known to raid nesting boxes for eggs. A secure, hardware-cloth-lined coop with a covered run is strongly recommended.