We cannot keep chickens.....or can we?

[Finedon.Dandy]

When we decided we would have to move out of London, I was smitten by the idea of a rural existance. I had decided I wanted enough space for chickens and maybe a duck or two but once here my enthusiasm waned> However being a regular poster on here, I see how rewarding many of you find it, my friend in the village has just got 3 and when I read about them in "The concise guide to self-sufficiency" by John Seymour I had even come up with the ideal place they could be houses under the apple trees..............
................mentioned it to hubbie and he then reminded me (my memory is terrible and this is probally the real reason why my enthusiasm waned) that it states in the deeds to the house that you cannot keep them. Has anyone ever got to this bridge but found a way over?

[Claire72]

our landlord has in our lease that we cannot keep poultry, but when we contacted them to ask permission it was granted immediately. The reason for the bit in the lease is that apparently they attract rats, and the estate were being asked to remove the rats. They say as long as we deal with any rats we attract, we can keep them.
(Had them nearly a year now and not seen any rats!)

[TPeers]

Silly question - does it say you can't keep hens or you can't sell eggs? Either way it might be worth a letter to the local council to ask if you can keep pet birds - unless the deeds are specific I'd be a little cagy about what type of pet bird......

If the deeds are that specific then a letter asking for clarification on the subject, explaining that you want a 'few' hens as slug/snail control and that they would basically be pets, that you wouldn't get a cockrel so noise would be minimal and accepting that vermin control is paramount might get what you want.

[Finedon.Dandy]

It was def "poultry" stated in deeds - who would I write to? Heartbreaking when you hear of 7,000 birds in a post today that will be needing homes and I might not be able to do anything to help.

[TPeers]

I suppose you would write to your local council? If you are lucky it was a 'ploy' written into the deeds to prevent world war 1 vets from starting chicken farms and the council won't have a problem.

You could try getting a friend to ring them and ask a general question without revealing your name or address - sort of test the water type thing. As to which department of the council - I haven't a clue!

[Sanjo]

I would think your local environmental health dept would know.

[Hans Mum]

yep deffo environmental health, i checked with mine only last week what the situation was and basically it depends on your landlord for private rents or if you own your own you can keep them & dont need permission, the only thing they did say was if your neighbours object they are duty bound to investigate but thats only usually if you keep a cockeral (noise) and dont have good husbandry (causes vermin) but that was Leeds CC might be different in your area, oh & she did ask that you register with DEFRA in case of avian flu outbreak

[peanut]

In the deeds to my house there is a covenant stating that "poultry must not be kept so as to cause a nusience to others"

I would assume from that that I could keep hens but not a Cockeral, even though the people opposite have Hens and a Cockeral (who is very quiet and only Cockadoodles now and again in the daytime!)

[Nicos]

We can't hang washing out on a Sunday

I should think if you get on with your neighbours and the hens are quiet then no-one would be the wiser!

[di]

would advise you do checks 1st and rather boring i know get permission;before we moved we had "illegal"bantams for just over a year,although the landlord never found out the stress it caused wasn't worth it;every time they clucked i was paranoid some1 would complain&every 3months the agency did a proprty inspection,never went beyond the front doorstep but even so i'd panic theyd venture behind the garage & stumble upon them.maybe i'm just over paranoid but was a stress 4 me anyway.good luck;you may still get permission;

[Starchild]

Our housing association says no as well, they class poultry as farm livestock. Our surveyor from the HA thinks they are daft and he is going to have words with the head of the HA.
We live in the middle of nowhere and the neighbours who have bought their homes are able to keep chucks...doesn't make sense really!

[hooraynana]

bit naughty i know - my mum and dad have that in their deeds but keep a hen and two ducks anyway. I think the only way you get in trouble is if some miserable person grasses you up . Who would do that when you have loads of yummy eggs.
I have a calder ranger chicken called margot and i think its brill having a hen - I also live in Finedon so if you want to pop round and get some advice feel free
x

[KateG]

I hope you manage to get over this hurdle. I'd love chickens too but have decided the garden isn't big enough really - gone for a greenhouse and wormery instead