Can I install chicken coop for my own eggs during shortage?

Reader Question: I am tired of never being able to find eggs at the supermarket anymore. Can I build a chicken coop and have a few hens for a domestic egg supply? 

Egg shortages lasting several months in France have led many to question whether installing a chicken coop is a cheaper alternative. 

Small backyard farms (basse-cour) are legal in France and can be installed without needing to adhere to regulations impacting larger professional farms.

Residents who opt to keep chickens must comply with several other rules, however, both based on the number of animals and how they are kept. 

Make sure chickens are kept legally

If you wish to keep chickens, you must ensure they remain within your property boundary at all times, and you are liable for any damage caused by animals owned by you to neighbours, as stated in article 1243 of France’s civil code. 

You must also declare to the local mairie that you own chickens, so they can inform you of any future rules relating to diseases such as bird flu, etc. An example declaration can be found here. 

Exact health regulations can vary between departments, but generally the larger the flock the greater the distance your coop must be from other homes. 

For 10 hens or fewer, there is usually no minimum requirement, and for 10-50 the minimum distance is 25m from an inhabited space. In both cases flocks are treated as élevage familial and the chickens seen akin to pets.

For flocks of 50 or more this increases to 50m, but installations of this size are classed as professional and are subject to strict regulations. It is unlikely that an amateur would have such a large flock.

You can check the specific rules in your area by searching for the règlement sanitaire départmental and your department name/number.

Keeping animals for food purposes – including chickens – is also subject to rules requiring them to be kept in good health and suitable conditions, including a 1982 regulation and the rural code, article L214-1.

Among other things, this includes requirements that animals have adequate protection from bad weather and predators.

Unless you are in a rural area, you must be careful about noise and smell complaints from neighbours, who could class the animals as a disturbance – this is particularly the case if you also own a rooster, and some local by-laws in urban areas restrict rooster ownership.

Ensure coop is declared

While not strictly mandatory for smaller installations, a coop (poulailler) is strongly recommended and acts as a safe space for hens at night and to help manage the flock more easily.

You can purchase these online or build them yourself, and experts recommend around 1m² to 2m² of space per hen. 

Coops are classified as an outdoor structure falling under the taxe d’aménagement or garden shed tax rules, and depending on their size – generally if larger than 5m² and 1.2m in height – you will need to pay a tax once the coop has been installed or constructed.

You can read more about the tax and its 2026 rates here. Note that coops do not fall under any special category and are subject to the standard rates.