Topic: keeping hens on your allotment

[chairman]

We're working with our local council to possibly allow hens on our allotments.
Did you have to agree to some form of licence before you could do so?
If possible could you email me a copy so we can work on how ours should be?

thanks for your help
Bill

[Trevor_D]

Don't know about council sites - we're independent - but you do have to register with Defra. (Officially, if you have 50 or more birds on the entire site, but they encourage you to do so anyway.)

Check with your local council allotments officer. He/she should know.

[Le-y]

i've had chickens for 5 weeks now and didnt have to make any sort of agreement i wouldnt've even had to let them know but i asked for a half plot to keep them on :)

[kt.]

Consider a cap on numbers of hens per plot.  We also only allow 20% of plots as livestock plots.  Our rules for livestock only allow hens and pigeons.  Decide what you can allow and ensure it is drawn up in the contract.  Ours is written that all other livestock is excluded.

Draw up rules regarding cockerel's.  One or two plot holders have had to get rid of certain cockerel breeds due the crowing at 3am in summer months waking people in nearby houses.  We have had the environmental agency on our backs due to some plot holders noisy cockerel's.

We also have a maximum permitted size of a chicken cree so that it does not dominate the plot.   Some plotholders who don't want to cultivate in the past have had to be reigned in by the council as they have turned over 1/2 the plot into a chicken run...... ::) ::)

Our rules also have a policy on neglected livestock.  Additionally,  if a plotholder is evicted,  they have 28 days to remove livestock after which we call in the RSPCA who take come and take the livestock.  This has never happened yet, though 2 plotholders have had complaints made against them and written letters followed from the RSPCA due to neglecting their livestock.

Finally,  any plot holder who wishes to keep livestock must first apply in writing to the town council indicating how many hens they intend to have,  size of the cree,  and a sketch map of their plot showing the location of the run.  (This is to ensure the cree is erected in an area of the plot that will not obstruct sunlight from neighbouring plots.)

[pennsylvannia planters]

 Quote :Our rules also have a policy on neglected livestock.  Additionally,  if a plotholder is evicted,  they have 28 days to remove livestock after which we call in the RSPCA who take come and take the livestock.  This has never happened yet, though 2 plotholders have had complaints made against them and written letters followed from the RSPCA due to neglecting their livestock.

I thought that the RSPCA only remove livestock if it was being neglected?

[DavidW]

Check this out
http://www.nsalg.org.uk/page.php?article=459&name=useful+information

[Le-y]

oh see on our site we are allowed to give over a whole plot to livestock if we so wish, providing we let the council know so they dont write us a letter asking why nothing's growing there!

[Lady of the Land]

Our council did not have any rules originally, but as soon as the first group started with chickens they suddenly decided they needed some. We can have up to 1 rod of an allotment used for hen area including run. Therefore it depends on council or who ever runs the allotments.
The rules include about hens welfare and that RSPCA can be called at any time. We negotiated re area allowed as council had given a whole plot for chickens to first group, but then really restricted area for anyone else. We can keep up to 10 hens within 1 rod. We have a covered area of 8 x 12 ft where the hens are generally kept being let out into outer run which has a 6ft wire fence around but no cover when we are at allotment.

There are 3 of us caring for chickens, taking it in turns to provide food, water, collect eggs and clean them out. We divide the eggs up weekly.

We would like another grassed outer area so can let one area rest for grass to recover but are not allowed. We have made a smaller tempory run on our grassed car park which is part of the allotment but have to carry the chickens up to it and put them in here so they can scratch around on good grass when we are down all day as the open area will just end up being fulll of mud in the winter.

Good luk with your negotiations

[compie]

I'm fighting my council to get permission as the law says they can not stop you having hens on any allotment go to section 12 on this link http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1950/cukpga_19500031_en_1

[DavidW]

hi, if you check the NASALG site, it  confirms that 1950 Allotment act states that hens and rabbits can be kept on allotment sites, our allotments have just had our tenancy agreement ammended to state that.

David

[compie]

it took my council 3 months to check the 1950 allotments act and they have now addmitted i can keep hens  ;D

[gazzaroo]

iv get 8hens and 5 ducks in to runs with 2 shed all fenced off the rest of the plot will be raised beds..

[tonybloke]

iv get 8hens and 5 ducks in to runs with 2 shed all fenced off the rest of the plot will be raised beds..

the 1950 allotment act does not cover the keeping of ducks, just hens and rabbits

[skintnbitter]

Our allotment also had a rule of no hens.  So we dug out the 1950 allotment act and made it clear that if we could not come to some civil arrangement we would involve the NASALG as we are all members.

We have now had our rules changed to say we can now keep hens on our plots within resonable guide lines agreed.

[PaulaB]

ON my allotment site there are several people keeping chickens and ducks.