Do you keep chickens on a housing estate?

no1catman

Define 'estate'? I live on a dual-carriageway, semi-detached houses both sides, built in the late thirties.
A house a couple of doors away, keeps half-a-dozen chickens (no cockerel), sometimes hear them clucking but not a problem, rather hear them, than the dog woofing (that's the sound he makes) two doors down the other way!

moneyistooshorttomention

From neighbour pov - I'd much sooner a neighbour had chickens (of the quiet variety - and minus a cockerel of course) than having a cat or dog.

Some people let dogs bark. Many people let their cats out cr*pping round the neighbourhood (plus other garden issues - eg right now I've decided to get a plant for my garden that apparently smells like catnip to cats and they have a tendency to destroy them). I'm ignoring the fact there is a cat living very close to me (as I moved in - and started growing food in my garden - before the cat did:rotfl:) - but I am concerned in case that cat heads for my plant and would obviously complain if it did.

But - I wouldnt be concerned about the aforementioned chickens and actually quite like the sound of chickens gently "chortling" to themselves occasionally. A few neighbourly free eggs thrown into the mix once in a while as well would obviously go down well too:)

Callie22

Some houses have restrictive covenants regarding 'the keeping of livestock'. My house was built in the early 60s and I know when we bought it the solicitor mentioned that there was a covenant specifically mentioning that we should not keep rabbits or chickens. I really doubt that most people would be bothered (and I know there are some pet rabbits round here!) but if you have something like this you might get a 'difficult' neighbour who would use it to complain.

theoretica

The other issue as well as noise is smell - the coop can be cleaned, but a small run may need cleaning too.

Davesnave

Callie22 wrote: »

Some houses have restrictive covenants regarding 'the keeping of livestock'. My house was built in the early 60s and I know when we bought it the solicitor mentioned that there was a covenant specifically mentioning that we should not keep rabbits or chickens.

Your solicitor probably did not realise that the Allotments Act trumps any covenant, as it is statute law, passed in parliament.

At base, the Allotments Act says anyone can keep chickens, although it's slightly more complex than that: for example, creating 'nuisance' has to be avoided.

Money_maker

I've been keeping hens for over 20 years. Some can be noisy, some not so much. Next doors bantams are much more vocal than mine!


I would add that the specification for house & runs tends to be on the very small side from many websites giving them very little room to move around. Anyone getting hens please do your homework and check out exactly how small the house and run will be. Some that are supposed to be big enough for 4-5 hens aren't even big enough for a large rabbit let alone a bunch of chickens.


ETA, I've always lived on housing estates and never had any problems although I was a bit concerned when my frizzle banty hen some years ago started to teach herself to crow.

stumpycat

I live in a 1920s house, just off the main dual carriageway in Dundee.
Our back garden is approx 30 x 60ft and we have had 6 or 7 chickens for the last 6 or 7 years. Our garden is surrounded by hedges (which really help muffle ANY noise) and we also have an electric fence (due to neighbours of the foxy kind)

When we went away on holiday, we used to take the chooks to a boarding place, but now we get a pet sitter. The neighbours are happy with this as they missed the chicken sounds!!

We mainly have ex-batts and have found that they definitely have the biggest personalities. They really are pets & the eggs are a bonus. Ours live in a wooden playhouse donated by other neighbours down the street.