Do I need neighbours permission before I rescue some hens

[ImprobablePuffin]

Hiya, so I am planning to rescue 4-6 ex battery hens and have a lovely large garden for them to roam in. I have a coop and everything sorted out but I've been told by a friend I should get neighbours permission first?

I don't see why their preference trumps mine and I'm not sure the etiquette here but I'm not getting a cockerel so there'll be no cockadoodledooing going on.

Would you get permission first or not?

@WentworthPrison - Dogs stink too and are much more annoying (noise -wise). Thus -why is it okay for someone to have a dog but not chickens?

@Charlieiscool - this is the reason why I would not ask my neighbours' permission. Uniformed prejudice.

Maybe check your deeds, there was a covenant on our old house deeds saying no livestock & gave a special mention about there being no chickens -no idea why.

Us too. Last house and this one, same village.

Maul not mail! He’s unlikely to be writing to your chickens!

All you can smell in our coop is the wood chip on the ground. We clean them out every day (Eglu Cube is brilliant for easy cleaning). It's very easy to make them odour-free if you put in a few minutes each day.

If they're noisy as some are saying,m you'll likely upset the neighbours, so you need to decide whether the hens or a good relationship with the neighbours takes priority if this happens..

@Galassia - my chickens chase cats. Does that mean that people shouldn't keep cats?
And if I was worried about a dog killing my chickens, I would get better fencing?

You don't have to ask and I wouldn't think to do so.

But not all areas allow you to keep livestock (and chickens often fall under that title) - have you checked you're allowed to have them?

Dogs chasing the chickens and barking is the issue of the dogs and owners rather than the much quieter chickens who are in their own gardens. The only complaint we ever had was from a woman a third of a mile away who moaned because her dog was barking at our chickens (she and her neighbours couldn't actually hear them, but were driven mad by the untrained dog).
I trained my prey-driven dog not to chase ours within 10 minutes of them being here - with the help of my 10 year old's super-soaker. Two squirts of that and she's not once visited that part of the garden since!

My next door neighbour had chickens. The non-stop clucking really irritated me. I remember having to close all the windows and doors on a very hot day because I couldn't stand it anymore. I was a SAHM then so at home a lot and living on a council estate so rural living wasn't something I'd signed up to. Then a dead chicken ended up in my garden, blood and guts galore. Neighbours assumed it was my cat because he spent a lot of time sitting on the fence watching them (it was probably foxes but obviously can't rule out my cat).

@AlwaysLatte - thank you! They don't smell! (I've also got an Eglu cube - cost a fortune, but is soooooooooooo nice!!!).

@eightlivesdown
Mine only make any sort of audible noise, perhaps, once a week at most. They only make a noise if they've been startled by something, or when they lay their very first egg.

Hen keeper here, even with no cockerel hens can be incredibly noisy still - I would tell neighbours as a courtesy ahead of time and supply with fresh eggs to keep them sweet too!

My deeds state no fowl on the property, so yes worth a check to see if they mention anything.

@FelicityPike

I would at least tell them. Chickens might attract rats and foxes.

We're fully fenced in and have taken precautions to fox proof etc.

I'm happy to let neighbours know and even give them free eggs if we get any it was the 'permission' I was unsure of

Also we are semi rural, Kent Surrey borders

Also should add there are no issues with keeping chickens from council etc

Personally I would rather hear hens than dc or barking ddogs!!
Or loud music from a garden!!
Our ddog loved our Ladies!!

OP Not wishing to cast a dampener on this but... I have considered doing the very same as you.
However, after having seen 'The Fox' come into my garden through a tiny gap in the fence (you would not believe how tiny) and knock my bird table over in order to take stuff off it ( the cheek of it) I would not put chickens in that sort of danger unless I was 100 million percent sure of their safety.

@onetimeusername2021

I wouldn't. btw i hope your my next door neighbour as id love hens but due to 4 kids i just dont have time !

My neighbours are child free so unfortunately you're not them lol The coop won't be near their fence or anything and we are putting coop on concrete as per my research so no rats can burrow etc

@DogsSausages

I would love to keep chickens, do they still need to be kept indoors with the new rules. I guess their food could attract vermin. What would you so if the ndn objects.

I've bought raised feeders and waterers and we're building on concrete - I really have taken everything into consideration. Also happy to give free eggs etc. I do try and be a good neighbour generally.

@30degreesandmeltinghere

Our council gave permission but def no to a noisey cockeral...

That's fine we don't want a cockerel

Our neighbour panic bought chickens just before the first lockdown. Chickens were never allowed out in the garden and seemed utterly miserable. They were housed in a ramshackle self made run made of panels of chicken wire and plywood. We termed it the "chicken slum". In the summer they squawked on repeat from about 5am until he opened up the coop at 8am. Definitely not pets which should be kept in an urban setting. In terms of house deeds, our houses didn't allow livestock or fowl to be kept, but no one seems to pay any attention to that and it is quite unenforceable (unless perhaps a new build).

However, our neighbours chickens did mysteriously disappear about 9 months after he got them. Not sure if there were complaints or it dawned on our neighbour that as a single bloke he couldn't keep up with all the eggs that 3 hens were laying, so got rid.

No useful advice other than perhaps check local council laws, make sure chickens are housed appropriately and are happy. If possible try and reduce noise from the coop if in an urban area...otherwise people might start a noise complaint.

@ItsAllGoingToBeFine

Be aware that you are usually required to keep chickens "indoors" for a few months every winter due to avian flu. Obviously you can't keep chickens in the coop 24/7 so think about some sort of roofed contained outdoor enclosure for them.

Our coop has a roofed run for when they're not roaming or they need protecting from adverse weather etc

@averylongtimeago

Are they going to be totally free range in your garden? They can do a lot of damage to flower beds and veg patches.

If you don't keep them clean or leave food about they can smell and attract rats.

All precautions for good hen care have been considered. I've done a lot of research and haven't gone into it lightly - if I'm rescuing hens I want them to have the best life possible. We have an area of garden they can roam away from the other parts of the garden

@SomethingToldTheWildGeese

I would not get my neighbours permission first.

If you ask, you're inevitably going to get people who don't like the idea... so that's just going to create an ill will when you go and get them anyway.

(Because you ARE going to get them. They are one of the best pets, and hens that have been cooped up in barns deserve to have the chance of a better life rather than be sent straight to slaughter.)

(Plus, if you're careful about keeping them clean and not scattering food for them, then you're not going to have any problems with rodents.)

Thank you yes obviously I plan on caring for them very well. We also have a timer with light sensor that will open the door to the coop into the run when the sun comes up

My neighbour has chickens. It’s never been a problem or affected us in anyway. Happy chooking OP

Our solicitors told us we weren't allowed to keep chickens when we bought our house, it didn't stop someone over the road and I would never have said anything. We'll, apart from nice chickens because I'd like some.