We can't keep chickens, can we?
Discussion
There's a covenant on our house that says:
"No site shall be used for the purpose of any trade manufacture or business of any description or for the sale of beer wine or spirits or as a club or for the teaching of music or for the keeping of pigs poultry or pigeons or for any other purpose except as the site of a single private dwellinghouse for the residence of one family only at a time PROVIDED that nothing in this Schedule shall prevent the use of any site for the practice or profession of a qualified physician surgeon dentist or solicitor or the placing of a name plate of reasonable size at the door or gate of any house"
(lack of punctuation and weird capitalisations in the original)
That clearly says we can't keep chickens, doesn't it? Or is it talking about running an actual farm?
If I'm understanding that correctly and we go ahead regardless then if our neighbours are cool with it (there is no way for obvious reasons that we would keep chickens if our neighbours weren't ok with it - just feeling out the idea atm before asking them) who actually enforces these things in practice? No one presumably?
"No site shall be used for the purpose of any trade manufacture or business of any description or for the sale of beer wine or spirits or as a club or for the teaching of music or for the keeping of pigs poultry or pigeons or for any other purpose except as the site of a single private dwellinghouse for the residence of one family only at a time PROVIDED that nothing in this Schedule shall prevent the use of any site for the practice or profession of a qualified physician surgeon dentist or solicitor or the placing of a name plate of reasonable size at the door or gate of any house"
(lack of punctuation and weird capitalisations in the original)
That clearly says we can't keep chickens, doesn't it? Or is it talking about running an actual farm?
If I'm understanding that correctly and we go ahead regardless then if our neighbours are cool with it (there is no way for obvious reasons that we would keep chickens if our neighbours weren't ok with it - just feeling out the idea atm before asking them) who actually enforces these things in practice? No one presumably?
Yes you can keep chickens. The Allotment Act (1950) trumps any deed, covenant, lease or tenancy. It has been tested successfully in court.
Details/guidance to follow is here :
https://www.gov.uk/animal-disease-cases-england/av...
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bird-flu-avian-influen...
The Allotment Act Section 12 said:
12 Abolition of contractual restrictions on keeping hens and rabbits.
(1) Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in any lease or tenancy or in any covenant, contract or undertaking relating to the use to be made of any land, it shall be lawful for the occupier of any land to keep, otherwise than by way of trade or business, hens or rabbits in any place on the land and to erect or place and maintain such buildings or structures on the land as reasonably necessary for that purpose:
Provided that nothing in this subsection shall authorise any hens or rabbits to be kept in such a place or in such a manner as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance or affect the operation of any enactment.
Bear in mind that since yesterday, England has been under Bird Flu restrictions and will remain under them until further notice. This could have an impact your chicken procuring. (1) Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in any lease or tenancy or in any covenant, contract or undertaking relating to the use to be made of any land, it shall be lawful for the occupier of any land to keep, otherwise than by way of trade or business, hens or rabbits in any place on the land and to erect or place and maintain such buildings or structures on the land as reasonably necessary for that purpose:
Provided that nothing in this subsection shall authorise any hens or rabbits to be kept in such a place or in such a manner as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance or affect the operation of any enactment.
Details/guidance to follow is here :
https://www.gov.uk/animal-disease-cases-england/av...
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bird-flu-avian-influen...
Foxes probably. My neighbour kept chickens, foxes got them. They built a different pen, got more chickens, foxes got them.
They built an enormous pen at the bottom of the garden, dug down 12" so the fencing went deep, fox got in under the door/gate. They also got white doves (which explains why we have so many half dove/half pidgeon mixes in the area) that the foxes had.
At which point I pointed out they were just fattening up the local fox. He's a regular, comes down one side of the close, into their garden, back up the other side, about 11pm and again around 3am.
The other issue was the rats. They kept feed in their wooden shed and a huge family of rats lived underneath. When they gave up and dismantled everything, took down the rotten shed, about 30 huge rats scattered everywhere.
We couldn't put down poison because of the dogs so Milky way smeared up a plank meant they stretched nicely for the air rifle...
They built an enormous pen at the bottom of the garden, dug down 12" so the fencing went deep, fox got in under the door/gate. They also got white doves (which explains why we have so many half dove/half pidgeon mixes in the area) that the foxes had.
At which point I pointed out they were just fattening up the local fox. He's a regular, comes down one side of the close, into their garden, back up the other side, about 11pm and again around 3am.
The other issue was the rats. They kept feed in their wooden shed and a huge family of rats lived underneath. When they gave up and dismantled everything, took down the rotten shed, about 30 huge rats scattered everywhere.
We couldn't put down poison because of the dogs so Milky way smeared up a plank meant they stretched nicely for the air rifle...
Weird one but we live in classic suburban Surrey & a house over the back has chickens & of course the Cockerel is noisy at all times of the day. Doesn’t bother me too much as were far enough away but wouldn’t want to live next to it.
Think it’s inconsiderate really but hey ho. They must be fans of the Good Life!
Think it’s inconsiderate really but hey ho. They must be fans of the Good Life!
Cockerels can be classed as "statutory nuisance", but as has been posted already, the allotment act gives everyone, tenant or owner, the right to keep chickens. A housing association a few years ago took this on against a tenant and backed down. Search it out - you'll most likely find the story.
However, having kept a few chickens for a good few years, you do have to accept that if you have chickens you will attract rats. If you back on to fields and farmland, it doesn't matter - they are everywhere anyway. If you are in a domestic housing estate, it isn't so great.
However, having kept a few chickens for a good few years, you do have to accept that if you have chickens you will attract rats. If you back on to fields and farmland, it doesn't matter - they are everywhere anyway. If you are in a domestic housing estate, it isn't so great.
You dont need a cock to get eggs from your hens. We own an ex-council semi and had them a few times, 2 of our neighbours have chickens now, it's not annoying for neighbours if theres no cock.
Eggs are plentiful even from 4 chickens,
They are nice pets, ours were all very tame and liked being with people.
There wont be any slugs or snails In your garden,
They'll gobble up most kitchen waste/leftovers,
They're a pain in the arse to tend to in winter-its dark, wet, muddy and they aren't laying,
They will turn the pen area to mud, devoid of vegetation no matter how much they are fed,
Cats and foxes will attack them, and magpies and crows will eat their eggs if left for any length of time,
Food/bedding storage attracts mice.
They are escape artists so need a very secure pen with high fences.
Eggs are plentiful even from 4 chickens,
They are nice pets, ours were all very tame and liked being with people.
There wont be any slugs or snails In your garden,
They'll gobble up most kitchen waste/leftovers,
They're a pain in the arse to tend to in winter-its dark, wet, muddy and they aren't laying,
They will turn the pen area to mud, devoid of vegetation no matter how much they are fed,
Cats and foxes will attack them, and magpies and crows will eat their eggs if left for any length of time,
Food/bedding storage attracts mice.
They are escape artists so need a very secure pen with high fences.
poo at Paul's said:
Are there any restrictions currently due to Bird Flu? There were some a while back
There are restrictions in place which came in to effect yesterday as mentioned in my previous post. They shouldn't affect someone's ability to buy / adopt hens although I know some places have put a stop to rehoming at the moment.
Mt sister-in-law has just this year given up on keeping chickens after several years. Her garden was within a certain distance of a confirmed bird flu outbreak and the increasing restrictions imposed by DEFRA just kept pushing it away from being "half a dozen birds as pets and for some eggs" and more toward being a bio security burden. I'd be closely checking the DEFRA rules and advice before getting involved with keeping poultry at the moment.
Decky_Q said:
You dont need a cock to get eggs from your hens. We own an ex-council semi and had them a few times, 2 of our neighbours have chickens now, it's not annoying for neighbours if theres no cock.
Eggs are plentiful even from 4 chickens,
They are nice pets, ours were all very tame and liked being with people.
There wont be any slugs or snails In your garden,
They'll gobble up most kitchen waste/leftovers,
They're a pain in the arse to tend to in winter-its dark, wet, muddy and they aren't laying,
They will turn the pen area to mud, devoid of vegetation no matter how much they are fed,
Cats and foxes will attack them, and magpies and crows will eat their eggs if left for any length of time,
Food/bedding storage attracts mice.
They are escape artists so need a very secure pen with high fences.
It’s illegal to feed them kitchen waste/leftovers Eggs are plentiful even from 4 chickens,
They are nice pets, ours were all very tame and liked being with people.
There wont be any slugs or snails In your garden,
They'll gobble up most kitchen waste/leftovers,
They're a pain in the arse to tend to in winter-its dark, wet, muddy and they aren't laying,
They will turn the pen area to mud, devoid of vegetation no matter how much they are fed,
Cats and foxes will attack them, and magpies and crows will eat their eggs if left for any length of time,
Food/bedding storage attracts mice.
They are escape artists so need a very secure pen with high fences.
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