maximum number of poultry

[superdupa]

On our site there is a quite a few plots where they keep hens ,the trouble is this year we are overrun with rats.Its so bad that they have demolished a lot of spuds and turnips.The committee ( of which I am vice chair ) are thinking of introducing a rule about the number of hens per plot, has anyone else had a cap on the number of hens and does this work.Cheers

[superdupa]

[pumkinlover]

IMHO it's not just the number of chickens which are the problem but how they are looked after.
Probably  though if the chickens are overcrowded the standards of husbandry are lower.

Its more about only putting out enough food for the day, keeping food in rat proof containers and standing the huts on bricks so that it is easy to see if there are rat runs underneath.

Hope this helps a bit.

[JENIAN]

Have had a really bad 2yrs on the allotments with rats,100's of them. Poultry keeping is the main problem, but how to control/police the keeping of poultry??????????

[Alex133]

Our sites have rat bait traps routinely checked/filled by people the council employ - it's covered by our subs. When the company 'underperformed'  for a while in the spring rat population soared even though no chickens at all on this site.

[saddad]

I'm fairly certain that the legal number you can keep... without permission is 4...
not much use to you though... on our site that would be over 750 !...
If someone is keeping more than four then you have rights to ask for certain things like grain storage bins and so on...   :-X

[ceres]

The NSALG information leaflet on keeping hens and rabbits on allotments explicitly says you don't need permission and a maximum number can't be enforced.  However, it argues that if you get say 5 eggs a week from each hen, keeping more than 'a few' would raise suspicion of them being kept for trade or business which isn't permitted.  They can only be kept to feed you/your family.  A flock of more than 50 must be registered with DEFRA under the bird flu regulations.The leaflet also mentions a DEFRA recommended stocking density of 9 per square metre equating to 25 birds in an 8 x 6 shed.

The leaflet is a Word document.  I can send a copy to anyone who wants it if you give me your email address by PM.

[brown thumb]

at my last lotty theres an elderly bloke who bred special breed chickens and he had over 50 pairs at one count on one plot  he  sold the off spring at poultry fairs  nearly every plot had chicken and when  you  were working in your plot the stench was over powering so i gave up the plot and moved to were aim now i am not against any one keeping chickens would love some my self if i lived nearer but there should be a reasonable limit  to how many is kept