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Original poster

Do I need neighbours permission before I rescue some hens

101 replies

ImprobablePuffin · 28/07/2021 16:41

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?

OP posts:
Original poster
ImprobablePuffin · 28/07/2021 17:28

@Charlieiscool

They are noisy and smelly and not ok in the city. I’d hate my neighbours to get chickens.
I'm not in a city
OP posts:
Buckleyourseatbelt · 28/07/2021 17:29

I’ve got chickens in a London garden. Of course I didn’t ask my neighbours. They don’t ask me before they get cats or dogs.

Original poster
ImprobablePuffin · 28/07/2021 17:30

@Galassia

One of my dogs would be hellbent in trying to get into your garden and chase and mail if not probably kill the chickens.

Check if your neighbours have dogs.

Neighbours don't have dogs, (I only have neighbours on one side of me and none the other. And a dog wouldn't be able to get in anyway as we have 6 plus foot fencing around the entire garden
OP posts:
Buckleyourseatbelt · 28/07/2021 17:30

And they’re not noisy, I was chatting to a neighbour over the fence e and she hadn’t even realised I had them; they’re tiny and they don’t smell, I clean them out.

Original poster
ImprobablePuffin · 28/07/2021 17:30

@Galassia

One of my dogs would be hellbent in trying to get into your garden and chase and mail if not probably kill the chickens.

Check if your neighbours have dogs.

And also frankly it would be on you to control your hellbent dog, not me.
OP posts:
EvenRosesHaveThorns · 28/07/2021 17:31

What a brilliant thing to do. Ignore the naysayers, rescue chickens have had terrible lives, you're saving them from being dog food & will get lots of eggs! I don't see the need to tell your neighbour. People don't tend to tell them when they get dogs, which can be extremely noisy and disruptive in a way that hens just simply aren't! Why people with dogs are commenting on this post saying they would hate hens next door is the greatest of ironies!!!!! Just offer them eggs when they arrive :)

LubaLuca · 28/07/2021 17:32

Our neighbors got a few chickens about a year ago. I saw a real life wild rat for the first time about a fortnight afterwards, and plenty more since. There is definitely a smell that blows over if the wind is in the wrong direction. They are very noisy throughout the day, but especially first thing when everything else is quiet so you hear nothing but bloody chickens squawking.

If the neighbour had come and told me they were getting them, I wouldn't have hated the blasted birds any less to be honest. It's something I have to accept when living near other people, that I'm not always going to enjoy their hobbies as much as they do.

LivingNextDoorToNorma · 28/07/2021 17:32

Our old neighbour had hens. It really didn’t impact us. They are a bit loud, but dogs, children etc can be loud too. It’s just part of living where there are other people. The neighbours on the other side HATED them though. They logged a noise complaint with the council. No idea how it all ended, our lease was up and we moved out.

ReuT3 · 28/07/2021 17:37

if you have permission from your neighbours it'll be easier to ask for a hand catching them and for all the reasons I don't know yet.

tillytoodles1 · 28/07/2021 17:38

My neighbour has chickens in his garden. He backs on to me and I can see them and hear them, but they don't bother me. As for rats, I think they'd be in his garden, I've only seen one in mine, but my cat caught a few so maybe they are in my garden too.

ReuT3 · 28/07/2021 17:39

@ReuT3

if you have permission from your neighbours it'll be easier to ask for a hand catching them and for all the reasons I don't know yet.
Scrap this. Someone said if you've already prepared there's no point in asking, just go on and get them.
AlwaysLatte · 28/07/2021 17:40

(I've also got an Eglu cube - cost a fortune, but is soooooooooooo nice!!!).
Great choice! My costly mistake was to get a wood hen house first. Very pretty but it got mites very quickly. None since getting the Eglu!

Original poster
ImprobablePuffin · 28/07/2021 17:40

I'd also like to clarify that I'm not asking if I'm 'allowed' by the council etc. That's not an issue. My hens will be well cared for and their coop kept clean.
I was only asking whether I needed neighbours permission

OP posts:
AlwaysLatte · 28/07/2021 17:43

I'm amazed that some places actually stipulate no chickens in the deeds! (Obviously some places are common sense not suitable)

thinkfast · 28/07/2021 17:52

I don't think you'd need neighbours permission, unless there is a restriction on your property from keeping livestock / chickens.

We have a friend who keeps them. They are surprisingly big and do suprisingly large poos. They are also smelly and try to get in the house all the time. Our friend has no lawn left due to digging and scratching and lots of ratty and foxy visitors. The chickens are kind of sweet in that the come running when called, but they do peck quite hard (ouch). Holiday care for the chickens can be tricky to arrange as their large coop needs a lot of cleaning.

On the plus side they alway have lots of eggs for the kids to search the garden for.

Lowlifeinhighplaces · 28/07/2021 17:55

Can I ask have you ever had hens before?

Rescue hens do come with the need for extra care, and if you are not used to hens it can be overwhelming for some. I took in 12 to go with the rest of my girls and introduced them gradually, within 3 weeks 5
of the rescue hens had died, so be prepared and make sure you have a 'hen first aid kit' just in case.

Obviously as you are getting ex-bats there are no cockerels. You did not say who you are getting them from, but most you will not get a choice of what to pick, so be prepared for some sorry looking girls.

To the poster who said you usually have to keep your hens indoors for a few months every winter is quite wrong, only if an instruction is given to keep them under cover due to an outbreak/suspected outbreak.

You do not have to inform your neighbour but think it would be best to do so, yes they can get vocal, but on the whole I have found ex-bats to be quieter than pure or mixed breeds, check your local council on keeping hens.

All going well your new girls will give you pleasure, for some time to come but they will not live as long as other non bat hens (I have hens 13 years old, oldest battery one lasted just under 4) but enjoy them, but be warned....once you have then you will always want them in your life, mine are spoilt rotten, and they deserve it!

From a chicken keeper of many years.

Lowlifeinhighplaces · 28/07/2021 17:57

Sorry OP just seen your update, so no you dont need their permission but good to tell them, enjoy your new girls when they arrive

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 28/07/2021 18:05

only if an instruction is given to keep them under cover due to an outbreak/suspected outbreak

Doesn't this happen most years ? TBF I can't really remember back past last winter Blush

WouldBeGood · 28/07/2021 18:31

Sounds like you’ve decided anyway @ImprobablePuffin 🤷🏻‍♀️

Galassia · 28/07/2021 18:40

[quote SomethingToldTheWildGeese]@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?[/quote]
I meant that in order to keep her chickens safe she should check with the neighbours about their dogs.

The ‘killer’ dog of my three is a very sweet faced dog and to look at him you would not know that he has a penchant for murder.

That way she can ensure that the fencing is high enough and secure enough to prevent any dog that is likely to cause harm from getting into her garden and likewise it lets the neighbour know so that they may take extra precautions in the care of their dog.

I would not object to chickens being kept next door but I would keep an extra eye on the killer dog as I would be very upset if he was able to murder any of them.

He wears a large bell around his neck to warm any critters as it and our fencing is secure but he doesn’t have the temptation of chickens to make him want to leap over or dig his way under!

Powertothepetal · 28/07/2021 18:44

Tbh, I’ve had hens before and I don’t think they are a good idea usually.

People talk about cockerels but hens can be shockingly loud, especially when laying an egg which is often quite early in the morning.
The whole silent or just gentle little cluck clucking of hens is, in my experience, an absolute myth.

They are incredibly destructive, in an average garden they can cause absolute carnage.

They poo vast, vast amounts aswell.

I never experienced rats, I think that’s unlikely unless you aren’t keeping them clean enough and/or you are storing grain to feed them outside (we stored our feed in the utility)

Freshapples · 28/07/2021 18:46

It wouldn't have crossed my mind to ask my neighbours or check my deeds if I wanted chickens! Just do it, if you want it. I don't see how chickens are different from any other pet. A cockerel is different thing due to noise but you're not getting one of them.
But do make sure you have proper provision to be able to keep them in a run in case you have to lock them up for a time due to either bird flu or marauding foxes. And keep things clean and don't leave excess food lying around.

HasaDigaEebowai · 28/07/2021 18:59

I didn't mention to neighbours when we got ours. I would however agree with PPs that they can be noisy even without a cockerel. Mine quite frequently start clucking loudly at about 5am and they go ballistic in the early hours if theres a fox on patrol.

HasaDigaEebowai · 28/07/2021 19:00

They will also decimate your garden given half a chance.

Sunshine1235 · 28/07/2021 19:02

Our neighbours have chickens. I only know this because she told us, never heard them or had any problems with smell, rats etc. We are in a built up area