Topic: Whats a reasonable number of chickens on an allotment?

[Kea]

Our allotment committee had a meeting with the Town council the other day and we were discussing one of the allotmenteers who keeps a lot of chickens. one of his neighbouring plots had complained because he has so many now that they are adversely affected. They were complaining that the rats were attracted because he feeds kitchen scraps including bread to his chickens and they were finding bits of bread etc in their compost heap and everyone has noticed an explosion in rat numbers in the vicinity.
 In addition. and they haven't complained about this yet probably because it's only recently gone up, he has also built extensive sheds about 8-9 ft high on the southeast boundary of their plot which is going to substantially cut out their light in the spring and summer. 

He has about 40 chickens in a run about 10 ft by 20 ft. our rules state that you should only produce what you need but he must be selling his eggs with that many.

[kt.]

A licence is required for any number over 50.  The number allowed on allotments should really be down to the council.  If all his hens are layers then he is clearly running a small business.  My opinion would be that 6 is more than enough to support a families needs.  If people have more then I would not be too bothered as long as they were in a clean and tidy cree that did not affect others.  I have had 24 in the past and reduced that down to my current 11.  Even they produce a few too many eggs. My neighbour has 20 but they are no problem to anybody and always clean.

If there is an increase in rats that can be proved is down to his hens then environmental health can be involved.  I would also check the small print regarding dwellings and livestock in local council rules on allotments.  Most contracts state how many and a maximum size.  If this is exceeded then the council can force him to take it down or reduce the size.  If not he is in breach of contract so can lose his allotment.  If it is being discussed at the town council and has been mentioned by several plotholders then there is clearly an issue that is to be resolved.

[Kea]

When you say that a licence is required for more than 50...Who requires the license and where do I find that information?

Unfortunately the Town Council have just re written the contract with input from the allotment association committee based on some examples they got from the NSALG it's quite extensive but it's becoming clear that some stuff which they should have included has been left off.....number of chickens being one of them. I notice the allotment act excludes cockerels. The guy causing the problem is not a member of our association which is recent and voluntary. 

Thanks for your help.

[kt.]

When you say that a licence is required for more than 50...Who requires the license and where do I find that information?

It is Government Law which governs all poultry farms to the likes of Bernad Matthews and that type.  It is classed as a business and requires regular inspections from Animal welfare societies to ensure conditions are right - lighting, cleanliness,  housing,  feed,  the whole thing is controlled by the Government organisation called DEFRA.

On this link, scroll down to Animal Licensing and there is a telephone number.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/InYourHome/AnimalsAndPets/DG_10025980

This site is the better of the 2 as it quotes the Government regulations and Rules.  It also encourages everyone with less than 50 birds to register but it is voluntary.  If he has 40 or so that are causing a nuisance,  I would phone to enquire.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/vetsurveillance/poultry/index.htm

[Kea]

Thanks KT that's really helpful. I looked on the DEFRA site but managed to miss that page....I'll be out counting chickens tomorrow!

[shaun01]

mmmmmmmmmmmm i am glad my plot is not on your site

[kingston boy]

On our site we are not allowed chickens. Period!!
After reading some of the threads here i think i'm a happy bunny. We also have a fair number of foxes so they probably wouldnt last long either.We have enough rats without chickens to attract them. I love fresh eggs and can remember when i was young telling Mrs chicken to get off hers and then putting it in an old fashioned coddler.

[RW]

A reasonable number is perhaps any number as long as the chickens are healthy and have enough space.  The owner might be giving eggs away to family and neighbours which seems fine to me - even if some are sold to help with feed cost I don't see a problem - it is still not a business. There is no licence needed for numbers over 50 but the owner will have to register with DEFRA.

Chickens do not attract rats but excess food can. People also put things in compost heaps that attract rodents.

On my allotment chickens are an attraction - people always come and have a look and kids love them.
As long as there is no nuisance I don't think there should be any objection.

[Kea]

We've got quite a lot of chickens on our site and most are not in large numbers and not causing a problem. The problem here is that the run is the entire length of his allotment and right on the boundary of the other allotment for their full length, he has a lot of chickens in it, it's very muddy and smelly and he puts out kitchen scraps that include bread and cooked food. The rats have dragged the bread etc into the comfort of the neighbours compost bin to eat. If he'd chosen to site his chicken run on the other side of his plot where he has no neighbour it wouldn't be such a problem. I guess his plot neighbours feel like they're in a chicken run all the time now it must affect the enjoyment of their plot.

He's actually quite a nice guy but i think they've got up his nose somehow and he's using the chickens to get back at them. Actually I think he is selling young chickens as well as eggs. I'm leaving the Town Council to sort out the problem it's not mine I think they would be best suggesting he resite his run....at least then that bit of his plot would be well fertilised and weed free.

[lemontree]

We are not allowed to keep chickens on our allotment. Is this likely to be a council decision or the local allotment committee's decision?

[ceres]

The 1950 Allotments Act gives the right to keep hens and/or rabbits on an allotment unless the lease/contract for the land has a clause prohibiting it or the council has passed a bylaw preventing them being kept.  The local allotment committee can't set a rule on their own authority.

Edited to add, I've got a soft copy of the info sheet produced by the NSALG on this subject.  PM me with your email addy if you want a copy.  

[mat]

Kea, I'd love to know how this ended (or how the situation is currently) as this was originally posted over 3 months ago!  Has peace returned?!

mat

[Kea]

Hi Mat

I'm not really sure we haven't had an allotment meeting over winter. However the guy with lots of chickens still has lots of chickens and quite a few roosters...he lets them out now during the day and they are starting to wander. i can see a whole new raft of complaints heading his way as people round him start planting out their seedlings....!

His chicken coop still overshadows the neighbouring allotment so I would have to say unresolved and a bomb ready to ignite.

[BillTaylor]

Hi - until recently our Council said we could not keep chickens but we've just won the argument with them by quoting the 1950 allotment act. Their lawyers finally gave in. We are negotiating a code of practice, and they want to restrict numbers to 10 per plot. As some of the plots are small, and the intention is for family use only, we don't have a problem. There are some members of our Society who are v keen to keep and others who don't want them on sites at all, so we've got to find a moderate way. The Council tried to tie us to the DEFRA guidelines which clearly relate to commercial flocks, so we are proposing that the RSPCA guidelines on keeping pet chickens and the '5 freedoms'. But none of this helps with boundaries and nuisance. If your neighbour not dealing with food well, and his sheds shade other plots, and you have already pointed out the problem to him without success, you may be able to demonstrate he's in breach of his tenancy agreement and the site managers (society or council) could ask/persuade/force him to improve? Good luck - hope you can sort it amicably.

[tim]

Today's Guardian Money has a helpful costing on Chickens.

[gardentg44]

[mmmmmmmmmmmm i am glad my plot is not on your site]

Me too ;D ;D

[Inky]

Our site has a 12 chicken limit, and a rule that only x% of the plot is allowed to be given over to a house/run. Seems fair on everyone that way. And yeah, if he has that number of chickens, and cocks he must be selling chickens/eggs, so surely is in violation of tenancy agreement anyway?

[Robert_Brenchley]

That article may be OK on chickens, I don't know, but the costings for honey are nonsense.

[Kea]

Just to clear one thing up. He's not my plot neighbour.....so he doesn't actually bother me i was just interested in everyones opinion.

I believe he does sell his eggs, chicks and cockerels though.