to ask my neighbours to keep their chickens in?

[thepastisanothercountry]

Our neighbours who I dont' really know that well have a number of chickens (14 I think!). Normally no bother at all though perhaps slightly whiffy in the summer.

There's avian flu in the area (geese and swans in nearby park) and they've not put them inside. I'm assuming they know but it's been a couple of days now and all over the news.

They seem alright but as we dont really know them I'm a bit nervous of popping round to tell them to lock up their chickens - what do you think WIBU to do so or just interfering ?

Hahaha!

Says a fox.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-60025956

26 swans culled in Windsor

@Charlieiscool

Noisy smelly things, it’s so selfish to keep them near neighbours. People are so inconsiderate.

not really.

Ours have never smelt. Nver really come across smelly chickens unless they are not cleaned out at all.

As to noise, well, yes if you have a cockerel, but if you don't then they aren't really noisy. Ours do an egg dance for about 3 minutes after they lay an egg, rest of the day their clucks are so quiet they can't be heard outdise the run.

quieter than most dogs

I think that the chickens can be out provided that the run area is covered on all sides to segregate them from other birds potentially carrying the virus.

Free roaming chickens don't smell...

@ZeroFuchsGiven because they are noisy and smelly! I just don't think they should be on housing estates !

Noisy smelly things, it’s so selfish to keep them near neighbours. People are so inconsiderate.*

Exactly how I feel about dogs.

Exactly how I feel about neighbours 😄

Not to diminish the seriousness of this issue but can I just say that I'm loving the casual use of 'flockdown' 😂

[quote gunnersgold]@ZeroFuchsGiven because they are noisy and smelly! I just don't think they should be on housing estates ! [/quote]
You never mentioned housing estates you said people with neighbours should not have them.

If they smell it is because they are being neglected, And I really don't understand the noise reference.

They do have a cockerel but I don't mind its noise - we used to live next door to people who played heavy metal rock at full volume at 2am. The cockerel is a welcome relief

Just looked - they are still wandering about the garden. I don't like reporting people but I think I'm going to this time. One or two of the chickens seem to be very thin on feathers,, one is almost bald in fact - I know nothing about chickens - do they moult? The only other person I know who kept them tended to have big brown fluffy things but I didn't see them all year round.

Just googled and answered my own question - apparently January is a classical time for chickens to moult! Silly things it's freezing what a time to shed your feathers.

They do moult yes, I used to have them and felt like knitting them jumpers as they looked like 'oven ready' in the middle of winter once😂

Report them, its keepers like this that prolong the spread and this year has been one of the worst for AI.

From what I understand the bird flu can be transmitted by any bird, ie sparrow etc. so they can get through the chicken wire fencing anyway

[quote gunnersgold]@ZeroFuchsGiven because they are noisy and smelly! I just don't think they should be on housing estates ! [/quote]
They are neither noisy or smelly if looked after properly

There is a housing order and they have to be kept in by law.
My poor hens are most annoyed !

There's been a lockdown since early December. They need to either bring them in or pen them up with netting over the top

@thepastisanothercountry

They do have a cockerel but I don't mind its noise - we used to live next door to people who played heavy metal rock at full volume at 2am. The cockerel is a welcome relief

Just looked - they are still wandering about the garden. I don't like reporting people but I think I'm going to this time. One or two of the chickens seem to be very thin on feathers,, one is almost bald in fact - I know nothing about chickens - do they moult? The only other person I know who kept them tended to have big brown fluffy things but I didn't see them all year round.

Yes chickens moult, a few of ours are missing a fair amount of feathers right now.

Please report asap. The flock down restrictions state that birds must be housed which can mean in a building or in a run which is covered with very fine mesh or tarpaulin to prevent wild bird faeces from contaminating the domestic birds. There should also be foot baths outside the housing to prevent humans walking anything in.

Every time someone breaks the housing order it increases the chance of a positive case in that area which could lead to all the birds infected being culled, including your neighbours if they tested positive. The more cases reported the longer everyone's birds will have to remain housed so it also has an impact on everyone else. So bloody selfish.

I have thoroughly fed up ducks at the moment who are missing their pond and steam but we comply because it's the law.

@getsomehelp

From what I understand the bird flu can be transmitted by any bird, ie sparrow etc. so they can get through the chicken wire fencing anyway

as our chicken fencing is fox proof, it is might finer stronger mesh that chicken wire.

It is rat proof, so don't recken the chances for a sparrow!

*much finer stronger...

Chickens don't bark at all hours, or crap in your neighbours veg patch. They are much better pets for neighbours than cats or dogs!