Hello Everyone - Is it acceptable to leave hens and cockerels without housing, forcing them to find a roost in trees?

[Blue Raptor]

I have kept bantams, hens, and bantam cockerels for a few years. Live in the UK high on the Pennine Range of hills, gets pretty cold in Winter. I have got a real serious problem, and it is not just my problem it is a problem I believe for the birds. Can anyone help initially re thoughts on keeping birds without adequate housing?

Welcome to BYC!!

 

[Boppo]

I think Janie Doe was thinking of the editor of your local newspaper.

 

[janiedoe]

PETA good idea will take a look. When you say letter to editor, editor of this site or some other editor?

Your local paper or online news site. Also, it wouldn't hurt to find a poultry Facebook group in your area. They might be able to give local advice. I think local social pressure could be your best resource.

 

[Shadrach]

What exactly is it you are concerned about, the chickens, or your sleep? The more people who complain about rooster noise, the harder it becomes for people to keep them. We're these chickens there when you moved in? If so, then a house in the city may suit you better. People in rural areas can often thankfully still keep livestock and that includes roosters. Not everyone keeps chickens in coops and runs thankfully. I'm finding it difficult to feel much empathy for your situation particularly given you keep chickens yourself.

 

[janiedoe]

What exactly is it you are concerned about, the chickens, or your sleep? The more people who complain about rooster noise, the harder it becomes for people to keep them. We're these chickens there when you moved in? If so, then a house in the city may suit you better. People in rural areas can often thankfully still keep livestock and that includes roosters. Not everyone keeps chickens in coops and runs thankfully. I'm finding it difficult to feel much empathy for your situation particularly given you keep chickens yourself.

I get what you are saying, Shad, but this is what bothered me about the situation:
"We have seen the hens covered In snow in the trees frozen and their water frozen and crying> Not a lot we can do. "
I feel the op is truly concerned about the chickens and their living conditions. I know I would be.

 

[Perris]

What exactly is it you are concerned about, the chickens, or your sleep? The more people who complain about rooster noise, the harder it becomes for people to keep them. We're these chickens there when you moved in? If so, then a house in the city may suit you better. People in rural areas can often thankfully still keep livestock and that includes roosters. Not everyone keeps chickens in coops and runs thankfully. I'm finding it difficult to feel much empathy for your situation particularly given you keep chickens yourself.

I don't think the op is complaining about rooster noise in general, just these particularly thoughtless neighbours putting their facilities very close to the op's bedroom.

 

[Shadrach]

Well, if the op is concerned about the chickens then a bowl of water and a tray of feed is what I would be providing. Perhaps these neighbours can be shown by example rather than complaints and litigation. I've had chickens roosting in trees when it's been snowing and if you checked the various water stations they would be frozen on some mornings. A couple of hours later the water thaws and they would be happily tucking into a warm mash. Snow isn't that much of a problem as long as it doesn't freeze on the bird. After all, the rest of the wild birds cope. I would provide coops anyway but I am reluctant to condem these people on what seems to me mixed motivations and no evidence bar hearsay. I think I'll leave the rest of you to it on this one.

 

[swampfox440]

Hi, welcome to BYC! pleased to meet you and thanks for joining us. I'm just wondering If you have tried talking things out with you neighbors. I believe it is the best thing to do first before the fur starts to fly. Other than that, I agree with Shad.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Welcome to BYC! Good luck with your neighbors.

 

[KittyO]

What exactly is it you are concerned about, the chickens, or your sleep? The more people who complain about rooster noise, the harder it becomes for people to keep them. We're these chickens there when you moved in? If so, then a house in the city may suit you better. People in rural areas can often thankfully still keep livestock and that includes roosters. Not everyone keeps chickens in coops and runs thankfully. I'm finding it difficult to feel much empathy for your situation particularly given you keep chickens yourself.

I have lived in this semi-rural area for 50 years. I appreciate the cry of young foxes, the hooting of the night owls, and I am accustomed to others in the area keeping hens and cockerels as we do. The reason we held back for so long was out of concern for the cockerels. He is a callous son of a ...

Last year I told him the young foxes were moving around during the day and we had lost two cockerels and three hens he said, 'yea, I saw a few heads yesterday.' Meaning the heads belonging to his birds. He made no effort to secure his poultry until the foxes were a little older and had established their early morning and early evening (dusk) routine. His indifference to the welfare of his poultry was and remains staggering.

A fortnight ago the farmer told him his hens and cockerels were on his property late at night. That he took one in but it died the next day. Four were killed by the fox that evening. One was seen squashed on the road by my partner on his way to work at 7am. He told the farmer that his wife would soon be bringing more home from school so not a problem. 'It's only nature,' he said. In some respects yes, but the farmer believes as I do, that owning animals or birds places a duty of responsibility on the owners.

The food for his birds is left out over night in open top runs encouraging rats and because his hens are a spit from us, and a good run from him, we get the rats. We pay for the vermin control. Mentioned to his wife two years in a row and she has yet to say a word. She is a primary school teacher. Each year the school buys the eggs and the children watch them hatch. Summer recess sees her bring them home. As we all know 50+% are going to be cockerels. Usually the foxes get them, but this year he is keeping them in because the farmer is not impressed with his approach to the keeping of poultry. The farmer is not a newbie, he is in his 70s and was born on the farm.

Over the years we have let our poultry run free range and lost a number to foxes. That is the way it can go and that is why we now have large runs and interchangeable runs. Expensive to set up, yes, but our choice. The neighbour is a joiner so he has no excuse for keeping his birds in the state he does minus housing.

When someone says 'the city may suit you better' with insufficient information they really annoy me. We are animal lovers, we have sheep, we assist the farmer to bottle feed orphans and those with three lambs, we attend all the local agricultural shows. We recently found homes for four young cockerels that were going to be big boys and realistically we could not keep them. We checked our their homes before we parted company.

To be clear, we are concerned about the welfare of the birds and that is why we held back. Now we are also concerned about our lack of sleep and the affect it is having on our ability to concentrate. An apology will be most welcome. And if I sound tetchy, it is due to lack of sleep. 2.20am this morning, 3.40am, going non-stop come 5.10am.

It has been suggested, on this feed, that a letter to the editor of the local newspaper might make them sit up. We are sorely tempted to mention the school teacher. Let the parents and little ones know how she keeps those fluffy chicks. Her total lack of knowledge and inability to gain further knowledge... Thank goodness my daughter was not at school when she was teaching and that my grandchildren live out of the area.