SINGAPORE — Private science tutor Eric Woo is in a flap over what he sees as his right to rear a small number of chickens in his five-room Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat.

Mr Woo, 48, is regarded among the poultry-rearing community as one of Singapore’s leading chicken rearers, and has a Facebook hobbyist page with 800 followers.

But his beloved hobby is now under threat.

Until recently, Mr Woo kept his prides — five pet Mini Cochin chickens — in two cages on the flat’s balcony.

He housed the chickens — Kiki, Coco, Thunder, Shower and Rain — in cages taking up an area of less than 1.5 square metres. Occasionally, he would let them out of the cages, so they could roam around his unit.

In another corner of his home sat a 10-egg incubator he got from a local pet shop to teach his students about reproduction and life cycles.

He often put the hatchlings up for “adoption” on the chicken hobbyist Facebook group he founded called Fowl Mouthed Family (FMF) for a fee. He also often sweetened the deal by bundling adoptions with the branded chicken feed that he sells as a side hustle.

But Mr Woo’s hobby took a big hit in May when HDB officers paid a surprise visit following a tip-off, and told him that keeping chickens in HDB flats was not allowed.

Worried that the HDB might seize his chickens, he relocated all five of them and hastily passed two chicks that had just hatched to their new owners.

Mr Eric Woo had kept his small-sized chickens in two cages on his HDB flat's balcony until the HDB visit. Photo: Eric Woo

But Mr Woo remained indignant. “I’ve looked high, low, sideways, and yet I couldn’t find the HDB regulation that states non-commercial poultry keeping is not allowed,” he told TODAY.

Two friends who received the same warning from the HDB could also not find answers, he said.

‘SHOW ME THE RULES IN BLACK AND WHITE’

In response to queries from TODAY, the HDB made its stand clear in a statement issued on Wednesday (July 24).

“Poultry, including chickens, are not allowed to be kept in HDB flats. They are not suitable to be kept as indoor pets and, when allowed to roam indiscriminately, may inconvenience the neighbours,” said the HDB.

But Mr Woo believes the law is on his side. Citing the Animals and Birds Act, which stated that people can keep up to 10 birds “in any premises”, he said: “Show me the rules in black and white, and I will stop keeping.”

Mr Woo is aware that the National Parks Board (NPark) has a line on its website’s "Information on Bird Flu" page stating that poultry-keeping is illegal in HDB flats, but he argued: “Since when does NParks have jurisdiction over HDB?”

According to the page, chicken-rearing is an activity exclusive to those living in private residences, who can keep up to 10 chickens as long as they are caged.

“We are no different from private condominiums, yet they can,” Mr Woo continued. “If talking about exposure to avian influenza, then landed properties should be at an even greater risk, with wild birds flying into their gardens… This whole issue is really beginning to sound like SES (socio-economic status) discrimination, no?”

If noise is the issue, parrots and barking dogs should be banned as well, he said.

LOOK INTO THE MEMORANDUM OF LEASE

In response to TODAY’s queries, NParks noted that the Animals and Birds Act is a broad law, and “landlords” — HDB in this case — have a say on additional rules.

Ms Jessica Kwok, the board’s group director for community animal management of its Animal and Veterinary Service arm, said: “Owners are also subject to rules of their landlord, which may or may not allow the keeping of poultry within their managed areas.”

In its response, HDB said cases of flat owners keeping poultry in HDB flats are rare, noting that the authorities will advise owners to make alternative arrangements to find new homes for the animals if it comes across such cases of unpermitted pet ownership.

As for the “black and white” rules Mr Woo was seeking, the HDB has a 10-page memorandum of lease document that every homeowner has to sign under the Land Titles Act, which has a clause stating that a lessee cannot keep any animal, bird, fish or insect without HDB’s written consent.

Over the years, the HDB has relaxed the rules to allow the keeping of small pets, such as small dogs, fishes and rabbits. Birds fall under this list too, but poultry — though technically birds — are still banned.

POULTRY LOVERS CAUGHT IN BETWEEN

The HDB visit to Mr Woo’s flat has had a secondary impact: A schism in the chicken-rearing community here.

Mr Woo told members of FMF of the HDB visit on May 22. His post had sent feathers flying among chicken-rearing hobbyists as word spread to the other major chicken hobbyist Facebook group, the 1,800-member Backyard Chicken Singapore (BYCS).

While no chickens were seized, feathers were ruffled as Mr Woo started kicking members out of FMF since he believes the person who tipped off HDB was in BYCS. He issued an ultimatum that people can be part of either BYCS or his — but not both.

FMF has since been marked “Secret”, making it unsearchable on Facebook.

Mr Eric Woo presides over a meeting of members of his group Fowl Mouthed Family. Photo: Eric Woo

Those who decided to stay in his group have exclusive access to the “quality” pure breed birds, feedstock and supplements he had once offered everyone.

BYCS page moderator Axel Sujin, 27, has since called Mr Woo’s actions a bid to “monopolise” the already-small market here around chicken rearing.

Some former FMF members are not happy about a 15 per cent seller’s commission Mr Woo had started asking from those who transacted using FMF’s platform.

Mr Shannon Lim, founder and managing director of fish farm OnHand Agrarian, felt that it operates more like a “corporate outreach group”.

Mr Derrick Tan, founder of animal welfare group Voices for Animals who was kicked out of FMF as well, said Mr Woo appeared to have a lucrative business going. Mr Tan said he “adopted” three Polish chicks from him in return for a S$294 fee in February.

COMMUNITIES DON’T PAY THEMSELVES, SAYS MR WOO

In response to these criticisms, Mr Woo said he is somehow “branded as a money-minded fellow” but said a community such as the one he was creating does not pay for itself.

Mr Woo got into the chicken feed business — importing through Migoto Aquaworld Pte Ltd — as he wanted to bring down prices, he said.

“I indented, paid upfront thousands of dollars and shared the products at prices shops will never be able to match,” he added, citing that he sells a 4kg bag of Deli Nature GalliX Ornamental Super Start for S$40 or less but it costs S$50 in shops.

“Any and all margins” are channelled into subsidising FMF’s well-attended gatherings, Mr Woo pointed out.

So far, he has organised two gatherings, where he spoke on poultry-keeping tips and handed out door gifts, beer and food. Participants paid S$10 to attend.

He added: “My team worked our butts off for the gatherings, logistics and such. (We’re) all in this for the passion. So people can call me whatever they want. What I’ve done for the local poultry community, I have proof. We at FMF don’t just talk. We do.”

CORRECTION NOTE: An earlier version of this story stated that Mr Derrick Tan had paid S$450 for three Polish chicks from Mr Woo. Mr Tan has since clarified that he had paid S$294.