Kitchen Garden Forum

Seems as though the council aren't so green after all.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/vie ... 5-chickens

Hi PJ

It looks as though their "sin" was to live in a council house. And, of course, their neighbours complained! It's a blinkered old world.

Nobody would notice a couple a hens but keeping 25 hens in your backgarden really is asking for a reaction from even the nicest of neighbours. I think the council would regard this as a business operation and have to take action.
I have to say I'm on the side of the council on this one.

John

It's difficult for me to comment as I have never kept chickens, but I would have thought that as they are in an enclosure overlooking fields, there isn't much of a problem. When you look at some of the noise and vandalism on council estates ( alledgedly )
I would hope that the council might have more pressing matters to think about.

I live in Rugby and RBC are usually very good and very green. Living in a council house and keeping that many birds is a bit much in my opinion. I have four girls (my own house and OK in the deeds to do so) and have more than enough eggs. I can't see that they need 25 birds unless, as has been said, they are selling eggs. I'll bet they don't have the necessary licence to keep so many either. If they had a few chickens I doubt anyone would complain, but the smell and noise from that lot, in a relatively small garden would annoy most neighbours. I too am with our council on this one.

Hi Chantal,

I wondered what your take on this would be. Like I said, I've never had any dealings with chickens, so don't really know what is involved. It might help if the article mentioned the size of the garden as well as the enclosure.

The people causing the nuisance never or will not understand how anyone else can or should have a problem living with their disturbances!
Wither it is barking dogs, cats or crowing cockerels in unsuitable surroundings, it is always someone else causing the problem not them!

Most people try and are good neighbours, but there are always some; well !!!

Just watching Jimmy Doherty on TV in Wales.
He is on a farm which employs 20 men sorting and collecting waste,all sorts of waste!
How did they get planning permission for that?

Hi Lurganspade,
My exact thought as I was watching. Hereabouts you are not even allowed to fart on farmland let alone do anything remotely like sorting waste.
JB.

Parsons Jack wrote:Hi Chantal,

I wondered what your take on this would be. Like I said, I've never had any dealings with chickens, so don't really know what is involved. It might help if the article mentioned the size of the garden as well as the enclosure.

The articles in the Express and Telegraph both say that the poultry enclosure is 35 by 60 feet. That in itself is slightly more than two thirds of a standard 10 rod allotment. So I assume the whole garden is far from being your average "back garden".

Time was in this village (and not so long ago at that) when most of the small back gardens of the cottages contained hens and cocks, and in quite a few cases a pig as well. Ours is not the only garden to retain its cwt mochyn (pig sty). We do have the only poultry in the village now, and most of the older people around our field put up with the noise and pass it off as sŵn cefn gwlad (country noise).

But then a Welsh village is a different place from a Midlands town.

Hmmm, well I do think 25 chickens in a terrace backgarden is taking the P*** and I don't think I would like to live next door to the enclosure in the height of summer! Hope they don't set a president with the council for clamping down on people who keep a couple of egg layers in their backgardens. If that photo was of the actual 'hens' then they certainly aren't keeping them for eggs!

A wonderful bit at the end of the Telegraph article:

Council official Leigh Hunt said he would be failing in his duty to other tenants if he failed to act.

“If a resident is causing a nuisance to their neighbours it is only fair that we work with them to try and resolve the issues,” he said.

...work - try - resolve - then evict

Oh, and I wouldn't fancy living near the residents with six permitted dogs.

There's some more local information from the Rugby Advertiser HERE and HERE

The two articles are worth a look. They certainly show that the people concerned are not living in a town-centre estate. It seems good news (to me anyway) that the publicity may prompt the council to rethink the eviction threat.

Rugby it may be - and I don't know the town - but the picture suggests a location as "rural" as our village location. Having done a search it appears that CHURCHOVER is a village about the size of ours.

Item on Midlands Today and it does change my view a bit. Their house is on the end of the terrace and their garden has a field (which was being harvested) down one side. It seems that their neighbours, apart from the one which complained, have signed a petition to keep the birds.

Leigh Hunt (is a she by the way, I know her) is now saying that they're NOT going to evict, just work with the family to find a solution that works for everyone.

Midlands Today have promised regular updates.

Forgot to say, the Daily Express chickens were young and white, whereas the ones in the garden are all Warrens who look around 2 years old. Journalistic licence.