Recieved complaints

[new2growing]

Managed to keep mine

My next door neighbour complained about my hens. Said they kept getting into her garden. I told her to mend her fence then they wouldn't be able to get in there. Her response? "Why should I?". Erm, to stop the chickens getting in? Anyway, she wrote a letter of complaint to the council who promptly phoned me. I explained the situation & she paid me a visit. She inspected the henhouse etc & was happy with what she saw. I was informed that as long as I kept no more than 6 hens & definitely no cockerels then there was no problem. Those were the councils rules. She then went next door & told them to get their fence mended. Still, that's one less Christmas card I'll need to write. Conclusion.... As others have said, check with the councils' policy. There doesnt seem to be a standard nationwide ruling on this. I wish you all the best with it. Oh, and by the way, one of my 'girls' started crowing loudly. As you can imagine, I sent her to the local farm asap.

[sheena]

First of all, i'm gonna try and answer questions...

Maureen, I hadn't told the girl's... but I think they guessed when I tended to them in tears. As a special treat OH let them on he's precious lawn today! ( I won yet another battle lol)

Plan well thought bluemoon, just the next door neighbour who I thought it might be, but now having thoughts as to whether it is her now. Everyone has pointed that she has hardly been there and I have to say that I have only seen her a couple of times since we got the girl's. But have been warned not once, but twice about the neighbours the other side of her (technically 2 doors down), as my OH would say "They do protest too much". Maybe a little 2 faced me thinks. But they have signed my petition, so if they complained, wouldn't that cancel out the complaint on a technicality?


So... now I have finished surveying all but the next door neighbour who I thought had done it... every single one of them has signed to say that don't have a problem!

Wonder what the HA will say to that, but I am still pressing the argument that chickens are pet's!!!

I'm not even sure if I said this before, cos I feel like I am going round in circles, but i'm going to send a copy of the petition to the Local Authority, Local MP, and HA with a general map of the houses surrounding me and mark each house that have signed a "yes".

Thinking of contacting the local papers once I can get the very final signature from my next door neighbour. (Just hope I can get her on side if it was her).

My dear friend's... we will save my girl's, come hell or high water!!

Save the feathered 4! (as my friend/neighbour has said lol)

[Johnny Appleseed]

Your tenancy agreement will hold the definitive answer sheena concerning any "no pet rule". The agreements normally cover pets - either they are simply banned or you have to ask permission first. Having said that, I know many HA officials that don't enforce the policy if they are not made officially aware.

I do feel for you over your girls - we were very attached to ours when we had them.

The HA's as landlords usually do have such a clause in place to protect their property and reduce complaints from other neighbours which is very time consuming for them in terms of admin and managerial time.

My latest addition to the family, Ella, was the result of a HA enforcing its no pet policy. The neighbours reported her constant barking when her owners locked her indoors all day whilst they were at work. Ella, went stir crazy and started to demolish the furniture and eat her way through the doors.

The family were heartbroken when they passed her on to us but the HA in question did not make any exceptions.

Your HA will probably think in terms of attracting rats into back gardens as well as any noise issue. It's not just your neighbours you need to reason with - the HA will have been here before on the pets policy and they will take action if they consider their policy has been breached. If they do make exceptions - the flood gates open and they might as well tear up the rule book.

Some mobile home parks now have a no pet rule in tenancy agreements - no dogs or cats allowed at all. That way - every one is happy and management don't get caught up in time consuming neighbourly disputes.

It's no reflection on you or what you are trying to do - it's just a risk they as landlords need to manage.

I really hope it is resolved to your satisfaction.

[sheena]

The letter they sent to me is quoted as follows

"In your tenancy agreement Section 3.33 to 3.37 states tenants may keep pets, however poultry is not deemed as pets".

[hooraynana]

;-( oooo-err

[hooraynana]

i will join your petition !
surely with the emphasis currently on grow your own and self sufficiency they will be prepared to bend rules ?

[Johnny Appleseed]

The letter they sent to me is quoted as follows

"In your tenancy agreement Section 3.33 to 3.37 states tenants may keep pets, however poultry is not deemed as pets".

I hope it all works out for you sheena

[blossom]

I really go think you could argue the pet bit.

On the comlaint front, we used to live right along side a load of housing association houses, some of which were a right pain. Because we were one of the few who would go over and ask people to keep it down at their late night parties, which they would normally turn down once asked, we got the blame for complaints about them. Of course everyone else said no it was not them, but it certainly was not us, but they wouldn't have it as everyone else were their 'friends' to their faces. We then got loads of nasty behavour from them, just because we actually complained to their faces rather than the HA in the first place, so I can see why people wouldn't just tell you.

Also, when I did make a complaint about something, and phoned up a second time about the same thing I was told they did not keep any details about who had made complaints, so I would have to go over the whole history. So looks like you may never know who complained.

Good luck

[sheena]

I have just searched the petitions at number 10, and have found that chickens that are kept by the everyday person aren't covered by the animal rights act.

Ref:
More details from petition creator

We the undersigned ask the Prime Minister to change the Animal Protection Act 1971 to include any domestic pet living out doors. We ask that these pets get the same rights as livestock. As at the moment domestic pets that are living outdoors i.e Rabbits and Guinea Pigs are not covered under this legislation but Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse are covered while they are kept in captivity. This is strange because Chickens, if they are kept as a domestic pet’s, are not covered where as chickens on a farm have protection because of the Live Stock Act 1953. We ask that domestic pets come under the Animal Protection Act 1971 because as animal lovers we can not defend our domestic pets from wanton obtrusion from other domestic animals i.e Dogs. We would like there to be a defense if the un-wanted decision should arise that the domestic animal attacking have to be restrained. Most of the doemstic pets that are kept belong to children and the loss of them causes great trauma.
______________________________________________________________________

I have signed this, as I believe that even our home grown chickens should be covered by some law, but it seems that once you remove them from a farm and rehome them in your garden, they lose their rights.

I was in the process of getting a petition together on number 10 to get domesticated chicken, formally recognised as a pet. But I got stuck and didn't know how to word it.

Can anyone help with this? I just need a starting block to go from, and once i'm done I will distribute the link and hope that you will all support the cause, and pass round to your friend's too.

[Johnny Appleseed]

sheena - I too am an animal lover but I believe the decimation of wildlife by domestic cats to be a far greater problem than simply stated here "we can not defend our domestic pets from wanton obtrusion from other domestic animals i.e Dogs".

Domestic cats slaughter wildlife on a huge scale - but there is a roaring silence on that issue.

Some studies and reports have indicated we lose over 10 million birds etc to cat predation every year - and these are reports cat owners have helped to compile by monitoring "kills" brought back to the family home. Goodness knows what the true figure really is - I shudder to think.

My neighbours cats kill all the birds nesting in my garden every year and when they have tired of that game they wait in the bushes for anything landing on the lawn.

My neighbours cats even tried to get at the chicks after they were born - no dog ever did.

Cat kills are simply played down, ignored or brushed under the carpet - but domestic cats are decimating our wildlife.

I'm sure the RSPCA and RSPB are keeping quiet in case their donations are affected by speaking out against cats killing behaviour.

I'd sign any petition that brought them under control and made their owners responsible for the mess they leave in other peoples gardens.

[sheena]

Sorry Johnny, I don't think I came across well at all in what I was trying to say.

My main emphasis was on "This is strange because Chickens, if they are kept as a domestic pet’s, are not covered where as chickens on a farm have protection because of the Live Stock Act 1953."

But the petition I want to set up (which I still don't know quite how to put it yet), is for chickens to been seen as a domesticated pet, not just a farm animal.
More and more people are turning green fingered and wanting to produce their own food, so why can't chicken be formally recognised as a pet?

That is my point, sorry for going on...

[Bephlam]

I have three cats (three dogs and five chickens - just to clarify that I'm not purely mad about cats)...and agree that at certain times of the year they are a huge threat to birds...however, I don't think there is a way of making their owners responsible for their actions. I do everything in my power to prevent my cats killing birds...(not mice though, I have to be honest)....they were bird alert collars...bells...and are kept inside if/when there are young nearby. BUT...It's physically impossible for me to prevent them behaving in a way in which they have been conditioned. (similarly...we can't prevent a fox from killing our chickens, a bird from tweeting at dawn, or a dog from licking his own...****)

As for mess in gardens...my neighbours are ALL keen gardeners and have never complained about my cats. Although, the do use mine!

[carlseawolf]

I think your biggest problem is your HA not your neighbours as you broke there rules by keeping chickens ,unless you obtained permission before hand.
If you can plead ignorant to the fact you though they where pets and not livestock as i did first time i did it they might make an exception for you and let the birds stay, if not it may be you or the birds that have to go.
Throwing a petition in the face of a H A will do you no good ,as you may win the battle on the chicken front but may end up losing you home at a latter day through some tecnicallity.

[kirsty b]

Sheena, as much as I hope you are allowed to keep your girls, do you know anyone who could give them a home if the HA cannot be moved?

[Bephlam]

Yeah Sheena...I hate to say it...BUT...It's always best to have a PLAN A and a PLAN B. Do you know anyone who will re-home your girls for you SHOULD the need actually arise?