To think that if you keep chickens you should comply with the DEFRA ruling?

[Serin]

I know of a couple of families who, despite the current advice to reduce the risk of bird flu, are refusing to house their poultry indoors and are still letting them run around large outdoor areas where they are in contact with wild birds. One of the areas adjoins a large lake, so the poultry are mixing with wildfowl too.

I think the current law is that they must remain inside until 28th Feb when DEFRA will reconsider if the ban needs to remain in place. AFAIK there is a potential fine of up to £5k for breaking this law.

I know that the families in question are aware of the ruling and feel it is an over reaction on behalf of the Govt. One of them said she would rather kill all her hens than make them stay inside.

AIBU to find this attitude irritating?

[ThornyBird]

No, not unreasonable.

I say that as a chicken owner whose on birds are bloody miserable at the moment as we're following the Defra guidelines. But I guess it's like anything, there will always be those who feel the rules don't apply to them.

[polkadotdelight]

We are following the guidelines, my birds are very miserable and from what I understand this will be extended to the 30th April. Someone said to me last week that it wasn't mandatory but it is.

[ForeverLivingMyArse]

Not unreasonable at all. I am a chicken keeper and the poor girls are hating being stuck in the enclosed run but that's what needs to be done. They have xylophones and toys to play with.

[Serin]

The risks must be fairly high? for Defra to introduce such a severe restriction?

[tygr]

YANBU. Mine are in and have been since early December. They hate it and I hate doing it to them. Several neighbours aren't bothering.

Has been easier over winter though. Hoping they can go out in March but the guidance isn't totally clear (I'm in Wales not England).

[EatSpamAmandaLamb]

No U at all. Our birds are all inside, I don't understand how others can be so irresponsible.

[Notthecarwashagain]

YANBU.
Ours are very miserable, and my garden is an absolute disgrace from DD and me having to traipse up and down it 4 times a day keeping them entertained.

Someone has a field at the top of our road, and not only are their chickens not kept indoors, they can't even manage to keep them in the field and they're always getting out on the road.

I hate it when people think rules don't apply to them!

[RandomMess]

Yes the risks are utterly awful so at them, would love them to go and witness a mass culling and see a family business go bust because of avian flu infection...

[5foot5]

I have no poultry, but did I read that right that a PP gives her hens a xylophone!! When I was a child we kept hens but they never struck me as being very musical

[Notthecarwashagain]

www.facebook.com/kris.garrett.395/posts/10211464917963332
5ft5- musical chickens

[Notthecarwashagain]

(Not mine btw- I doubt mine would do anything other than eye it with suspicion, and possibly poo on it!)

[WalrusGumboot]

Can't you report them?

[Idontbelievethelies]

Ours are miserable too, I hope it's not going to be extended. :(

[Wishforsnow]

Ok really stupid question but does it mean that I couldn't by a free range chicken at the moment because they need to be in a barn/cage? I hope this post doesn't offend anyone who keeps hens for eggs and is not vegetarian.

[JeffreySadsacIsUnwell]

Our neighbour's chickens spend most of the day in our garden . Definitely not kept inside. Should we be concerned? not sure I could say anything, or indeed what I could say... She did once come round to collect them (which is the first we knew that they visited us every day) and said "you don't mind, do you?" - didn't really leave much room for discussion. I wasn't bothered, but didn't/don't know anything about a DEFRA ban as it's not something that affects us. At least, I didn't think it was...

[AmpersandRea]

YADNBU. My chickens have been kept inside since the beginning of December and I will continue to do so until the end of April (to be fair they are happy inside; plenty of space and enrichment).

I wouldn't hesitate to report anyone not following the rules from DEFRA.
Contact Trading Standards.

[ElizaBenson]

Yes ours are inside but one of our friends has put all over facebook that she wont keep them inside because its "cruel" but of course exposing them to a lethal illness is totally kind... it really winds me up, but then I lived on a small holding in a sheep farming area during the big foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 so I'm possibly more twitchy about defra guidelines around disease control than she is

[tygr]

Wish AFAIK free range farmers can still use the label - for eggs anyway, not sure about meat - see this BBC news story.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38743352

[Dawndonnaagain]

Please report them. It's idiots like this that have ensured the culling of 23,000 birds in East Anglia.

[TimeIhadaNameChange]

Someone on our local fb poultry page claimed they were going to ignore the restrictions and everyone lambasted them. I'm in Scotland and I think we can let them out if covered from next month but we'll keep ours in as using this as an excuse to remodel the garden.

Wrt free range, I think the limit is 12 weeks, which is why the rules are beginning to be relaxed where possible.

[SilentlyScreamingAgain]

The risks must be fairly high? for Defra to introduce such a severe restriction?

It's less about the size of the risk, which is quite small, and more about the devastation it would cause.

[Pasithea]

Doesn't it not depend on how many you have got.

[TheFairyCaravan]

The people who live directly behind us have chickens they have been roaming round the garden and streets all Winter.

[SingaSong12]

Currently restrooms apply to all poultry keepers regardless of how many birds. On reporting the only thing I could find is that I think in England it is enforced by local authorities
"All poultry keepers – whether commercial farmers or those with a small backyard flock – are currently required by law to house poultry or otherwise keep them separate from wild birds. This is because a Prevention Zone is currently in force across the UK. This applies until 28 February 2017."

www.gov.uk/government/news/avian-influenza-bird-flu-in-winter-2016-to-2017

[SingaSong12]

Restrictions not restrooms.