Can I Keep Chickens In My Garden?

Since lockdown, there has been a surge in people buying pets to ease boredom amongst other things. Cats and dogs are the usual go-to pet choice however a lot of people are now interested in keeping chickens, not least for the natural and prolific egg production!

But Can I Keep Chickens In My Garden?…..

There are no national rules or regulations in the UK that stop you from keeping small numbers (less than 50) chickens, however there are some regulations to check first.

DEFRA:

You are allowed to keep up to 50 chickens on your land without registering with DEFRA, however after the avian influenza outbreaks, a poultry register was set up in 2005 and you are required to register if you keep more than 50 on the premises – so you need to take into consideration any other poultry you may have.

BY-LAWS:

There are occasionally by-laws for certain properties that prevent people from keeping livestock. Check with your local council that this doesn’t apply to you.

COVENANTS:

There are sometimes covenants (legally binding promises) put in place by housing authorities and councils to stop tenants from keeping chickens at their property. This is a local decision as there are no national restrictions.

TITLE DEEDS:

Again, the Deeds of some properties may state that you are not allowed to keep chickens (often referred to as livestock). If your property is free of restrictions, you should be able to keep chickens without a problem, however, please bear in mind that local residents may complain to the Council about noise levels, especially if you keep a cockerel.

There are other considerations:

PREDATORS:

1. Foxes. In the UK, the number one predator of chickens is the fox. Even urban parts of the UK have foxes. A fox is opportunistic and will visit your garden regularly and it’s not usually a social call.

2. Rats and Mice: Pests such as rats and mice can be a problem as they spread disease, eat valuable feed supplies and rats can steal eggs, gnaw at doors, wires and even chickens’ feet.

ROUTINE JOBS:

1. Worming. Enough said.
2. Cleaning out. This is usually a weekly job, although you might need to do it more often, particularly in warm weather. You should also bear in mind that chicken poo contains arsenic so if you sell up, you may need to remediate your land!

So, there is a lot to consider – not least the early morning wake-up call from a cockerel. The keeping of cockerels in an urban environment is likely to lead to complaints of nuisance (noise, odour or both).

Sherrie Litherland
August 2020