Hi!
I was very bored this morning and so I chased around my local county council (Worcestershire) for guidelines on keeping poultry.
Here's what I found - might be useful information especially from DEFRA. Most of the information I found is exactly the same as every Council in the UK.
OH, and the Local Government said you must check your tenancy & or housing deeds to check there are no restrictions (but there usually aren't)
Rural Payments Agency:
http://rpa.defra.gov.uk/rpa/index.nsf/0/40DF6552D4A8C9A780256F72003D7136
Poultry Advice (National Government):
https://www.gov.uk/poultry-farms-general-regulations
More Government Poultry Advice:
https://www.gov.uk/search?q=poultry&tab=government-results
A UK Government initiative for training people (Distance Learning) on keeping poultry:
http://www.trainingandcourses.com/pls/train/hc2_browse_new.pg_design
Contents of Leaflet:
General Advice for Keeping Chickens
Keeping chickens at a property is surprisingly straightforward, and provided there are less than 50 chickens there is no need to register them with the local authority.
More than 50 chickens are considered to be a commercial venture however, and must be registered on the Great British Poultry Register – an initiative set up by DEFRA.
There are no nationwide restrictions to prevent customers from keeping poultry, but some individual properties do have covenants which provide an obstacle. This information can be found on the deeds of properties.
There are no by-laws preventing anyone keeping livestock at their property in Worcestershire.
Where to put the Coop
Placing it right up against neighbouring properties may be inviting trouble if you are unable to sufficiently control noise, odour, flies and vermin. Secondly, you should consider the general welfare, house keeping and hygiene arrangements.
Chickens need fresh food and water everyday and cleaning out on a frequent basis, at least every few days, depending upon how many chickens you keep and how dirty their enclosure becomes.
Generally a well-planned cleaning and feeding regime, thoroughly implemented will help to minimise most problems, but make sure whoever looks after your brood when you go away knows what to do to maintain high standards.
Noise
Generally, hens do not cause too many problems although certain breeds are noisier than others and hens can be very noisy when they lay so you may wish to consider the closeness of your coop to neighbouring properties and gardens.
Cockerels cause the most noise problems, particularly in the summer months when they begin crowing at sunrise and may continue throughout the day. If you are keeping only a few hens purely for egg production, you don’t need a cockerel so unless you intending breeding chickens there is no need to have one.
Sometimes people unintentionally end up with a cockerel when they buy chicks; it is difficult to sex very young chicks and some may grow into cockerels. It is very difficult to control their crowing during the day, but it can be controlled in the very early morning if the cockerel is kept in a totally dark enclosure over night so that it cannot see the sunrise until it is let out to crow at a more reasonable time.
It is better to buy older birds whose sex can be confirmed to avoid ending up with a cockerel and having to make a decision about removing it because it its crow.
Odour and Flies
The chicken coop can be a smelly place, particularly during the summer months. You should ensure that you clean the coop out on a regular basis and cleanse the area with a suitable disinfectant if necessary.
It may be a good idea to use a plastic membrane underneath the coop to make it easier to do so, but be careful because sometimes mice will burrow under this and use it for shelter. Woodchip and straw absorb droppings and can be removed easily.
Waste
Do not allow excess food and bedding waste to accumulate on your property, it will start to smell, provide somewhere for flies to breed and mice to shelter and may attract rats looking for food. Make sure it is regularly gathered up, bagged and disposed of appropriately.
Food
Scattering the food across the ground often leads to some being missed by your birds and left for rats and mice. You get more control by using proper feeders that do not fall over or allow spillage and keep out the rain giving your birds’ good access to dry pellets or grain.
Try and monitor the amount of food you put out so that no excess is left for vermin. At night remove the feeders or empty them and collect up any spillage and also dispose of any domestic kitchen scraps you may have put out for them. Store your feed (and bedding) in secure vermin proof containers and clear up any spillages.
Rats and Mice
Once vermin realise there is an accessible food supply they will return over and over leaving their faeces and urine to contaminate your hens’ feed and water. You will also be exposing yourself, your family and your neighbours to the diseases that rats and mice carry in their faeces and urine.
You need to ensure you do as much as possible to keep the area in and around your coop as clean as possible. Some people advise putting the coop on slabs or concrete base to make it easier to clean around the area. However, mice may burrow under the foundations so this not always a good idea. It is, however, good advice to raise the coop 20-25 centimetres off the ground to prevent rats or mice moving in underneath.
How to contact Worcestershire Regulatory Services
Consumer Advice - regarding issues relating to ‘Consumer goods or Services’ contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 040506, alternatively research your consumer rights on the HM Government, DirectGov website www.direct.gov.uk
Business Advice only - telephone 01527 144714, or email
[email protected]
General Customer Enquiries - contact the Worcestershire Hub on 01905 822799
(Mon – Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm) or visit your local Customer Service Centre.
Opening times and locations can be found at www.whub.org.uk
Postal address – Worcestershire Regulatory Services, PO Box 866, Worcester, WR1 9DP
Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/worcsregservices
Follow us on Twitter: @worcsrs
I was very bored this morning and so I chased around my local county council (Worcestershire) for guidelines on keeping poultry.
Here's what I found - might be useful information especially from DEFRA. Most of the information I found is exactly the same as every Council in the UK.
OH, and the Local Government said you must check your tenancy & or housing deeds to check there are no restrictions (but there usually aren't)
Rural Payments Agency:
http://rpa.defra.gov.uk/rpa/index.nsf/0/40DF6552D4A8C9A780256F72003D7136
Poultry Advice (National Government):
https://www.gov.uk/poultry-farms-general-regulations
More Government Poultry Advice:
https://www.gov.uk/search?q=poultry&tab=government-results
A UK Government initiative for training people (Distance Learning) on keeping poultry:
http://www.trainingandcourses.com/pls/train/hc2_browse_new.pg_design
Contents of Leaflet:
General Advice for Keeping Chickens
Keeping chickens at a property is surprisingly straightforward, and provided there are less than 50 chickens there is no need to register them with the local authority.
More than 50 chickens are considered to be a commercial venture however, and must be registered on the Great British Poultry Register – an initiative set up by DEFRA.
There are no nationwide restrictions to prevent customers from keeping poultry, but some individual properties do have covenants which provide an obstacle. This information can be found on the deeds of properties.
There are no by-laws preventing anyone keeping livestock at their property in Worcestershire.
Where to put the Coop
Placing it right up against neighbouring properties may be inviting trouble if you are unable to sufficiently control noise, odour, flies and vermin. Secondly, you should consider the general welfare, house keeping and hygiene arrangements.
Chickens need fresh food and water everyday and cleaning out on a frequent basis, at least every few days, depending upon how many chickens you keep and how dirty their enclosure becomes.
Generally a well-planned cleaning and feeding regime, thoroughly implemented will help to minimise most problems, but make sure whoever looks after your brood when you go away knows what to do to maintain high standards.
Noise
Generally, hens do not cause too many problems although certain breeds are noisier than others and hens can be very noisy when they lay so you may wish to consider the closeness of your coop to neighbouring properties and gardens.
Cockerels cause the most noise problems, particularly in the summer months when they begin crowing at sunrise and may continue throughout the day. If you are keeping only a few hens purely for egg production, you don’t need a cockerel so unless you intending breeding chickens there is no need to have one.
Sometimes people unintentionally end up with a cockerel when they buy chicks; it is difficult to sex very young chicks and some may grow into cockerels. It is very difficult to control their crowing during the day, but it can be controlled in the very early morning if the cockerel is kept in a totally dark enclosure over night so that it cannot see the sunrise until it is let out to crow at a more reasonable time.
It is better to buy older birds whose sex can be confirmed to avoid ending up with a cockerel and having to make a decision about removing it because it its crow.
Odour and Flies
The chicken coop can be a smelly place, particularly during the summer months. You should ensure that you clean the coop out on a regular basis and cleanse the area with a suitable disinfectant if necessary.
It may be a good idea to use a plastic membrane underneath the coop to make it easier to do so, but be careful because sometimes mice will burrow under this and use it for shelter. Woodchip and straw absorb droppings and can be removed easily.
Waste
Do not allow excess food and bedding waste to accumulate on your property, it will start to smell, provide somewhere for flies to breed and mice to shelter and may attract rats looking for food. Make sure it is regularly gathered up, bagged and disposed of appropriately.
Food
Scattering the food across the ground often leads to some being missed by your birds and left for rats and mice. You get more control by using proper feeders that do not fall over or allow spillage and keep out the rain giving your birds’ good access to dry pellets or grain.
Try and monitor the amount of food you put out so that no excess is left for vermin. At night remove the feeders or empty them and collect up any spillage and also dispose of any domestic kitchen scraps you may have put out for them. Store your feed (and bedding) in secure vermin proof containers and clear up any spillages.
Rats and Mice
Once vermin realise there is an accessible food supply they will return over and over leaving their faeces and urine to contaminate your hens’ feed and water. You will also be exposing yourself, your family and your neighbours to the diseases that rats and mice carry in their faeces and urine.
You need to ensure you do as much as possible to keep the area in and around your coop as clean as possible. Some people advise putting the coop on slabs or concrete base to make it easier to clean around the area. However, mice may burrow under the foundations so this not always a good idea. It is, however, good advice to raise the coop 20-25 centimetres off the ground to prevent rats or mice moving in underneath.
How to contact Worcestershire Regulatory Services
Consumer Advice - regarding issues relating to ‘Consumer goods or Services’ contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 040506, alternatively research your consumer rights on the HM Government, DirectGov website www.direct.gov.uk
Business Advice only - telephone 01527 144714, or email
[email protected]
General Customer Enquiries - contact the Worcestershire Hub on 01905 822799
(Mon – Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm) or visit your local Customer Service Centre.
Opening times and locations can be found at www.whub.org.uk
Postal address – Worcestershire Regulatory Services, PO Box 866, Worcester, WR1 9DP
Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/worcsregservices
Follow us on Twitter: @worcsrs
