2022 Frugal Living Challenge

YoungBlueEyes

@woolsery will probably be able to clarify. 

Sweetlittledaydreams

@cw18 In England the rules have been in place for a fair while now, hence I've got a flock of quail living in my porch! I was worried they would get fed up very quickly but quite honestly they seem to be enjoying the warmth and extra cuddles, and sitting on my knee on the sofa 😄 definitely the most spoilt game birds you'll ever meet ( definitely pets not kept for the table! ). In regards to the persons chickens you came across they most likely are not following the rules. I know you can apply for an "exemption from avian influenza disease control restrictions" license, and I think you can apply for something from your farm vet to exempt you but I think that's more for the movement between chicken shed and slaughter house so seems unlikely in that case. I know some people will argue if they haven't got an adequate space to keep their poultry enclosed then they can't and I think at the beginning you could get a certificate from your vet exempting you from the restrictions as long as you weren't in certain zones, although that might have stopped now. I know ducks and game can continue to be kept outside as long as the area is netted to prevent wild birds sharing water and feed with them, so possibly they have done that if they don't have adequate housing. I suppose its a bit like covid restrictions again isn't it, we all should have followed them but some people didn't and found a way to justify it.
Sorry that was a long post on poultry not frugality! 

Woolsery

YoungBlueEyes said:

@woolsery will probably be able to clarify. 

Woolsery would really prefer to stay silent, but since you ask, it's possible for backyard chickens to be outdoors enclosed under a cover of some sort, including netting up to a certain gauge. This prevents wild birds gaining direct access to the chickens or their food/water. It does not prevent poo from birds overhead getting into the run.

Half a dozen birds aren't likely to be much of a problem if their food and water are kept indoors, which is the most important thing. Mine access theirs via a tunnel wild birds won't go through, so there are no significant interactions even in 'normal' times. With 6 or 7 chickens, any showing signs of being unwell would be isolated quickly, since sick birds are invariably bullied and thus go downhill rapidly. Obviously, monitoring thousands is much more difficult.

I'm unsure about the necessity for measures being applied to smallholders, but I'm practical, so it's easy enough to comply. There's no way I'd lock my chickens in, because birds used to free ranging get bored and start doing nasty things to each other when cooped up all day. It's also not what we have them for; we can get indoor chicken eggs from the supermarket.

Finally, when visiting a local lake recently, I was told some of the Canada Geese there had avian flu. Considering there were roughly 300 all doing their own thing and no one able to 'control' them, I'm not convinced Defra or any other body will get avian influenza under control. I do know there are large pharma companies working on a 'vaccine' for humans, and it's being mooted in some quarters as 'the next pandemic,' so forgive me for being slightly suspicious. I think it was in 2009 that nice Mr Fergusion predicted an epidemic of H5N1. He was ten years ahead of his time...and, fortunately, wrong.

cw18

Woolsery said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

@woolsery will probably be able to clarify. 

Woolsery would really prefer to stay silent, but since you ask, it's possible for backyard chickens to be outdoors enclosed under a cover of some sort, including netting up to a certain gauge. This prevents wild birds gaining direct access to the chickens or their food/water. It does not prevent poo from birds overhead getting into the run.

Half a dozen birds aren't likely to be much of a problem if their food and water are kept indoors, which is the most important thing.

 Pretty sure there was no netting overhead - I'd imagine it would have to be a small mesh which would make it more noticeable, and I didn't spot anything (I didn't have the gate open more than a few seconds, but it would have to run to the gate - or have a 'wall of net' between the gate and lawn - and I certainly didn't clock anything as unusual as that).

I didn't venture in far enough to see whether there was food and water outside for them, so I'll assume they ARE keeping that under cover and do nothing for now.    I actually know a parent of one of the couple at that house, and that parent strikes me as someone who's responsible.  But I don't feel I know them well enough to quiz them on this.  It was partly because of knowing the parent that I was shocked to see the chickens roaming when I thought rules meant it wasn't allowed.

willow_loulou

Chickens are VERY good at breaking out of basic measures if they’re used to roaming. The last few days my moulting girl has gotten out so she could go mud bath! I think I’ve sorted it now but it’s a challenge sometimes, so they may have conspired together to break out! 

I’m sat on my sofa looking at the mess of my living room wishing I could afford a cleaner again. I need a new handy grab as mine is giving up - well it is 20 plus years old! 

Fbook came up trumps with a dozen jars with lids. I’m really pleased as I have frozen cranberries to process. 

willow_loulou

Good grief! Was just reviewing my Amazon subscribe and save. How is it possible the dog food has gone up £5 in less than a month? 

London_1

Just been to top up my petrol at Sainsburys as it was £1.44 a litre, nipped in for a quick look-see and they are selling large legs of lamb at half price so snaffled one for my Dds freezer at £14.00 will do nicely over Christmas /New Year as there will be seven of us as the boys will all be home for a week or two

JackieOxx

Soontobeoap

Wow. Havnt been out in car all week. I think thats 40p cheaper a litre since we last bought any. How long has it been that low? 

Glittering_M

Wow that is cheap, Sainsbury's near one of my Offices was 156.9 the week before last and Morrisons near the other office was 155.9 last week, strangely the Esso was actually cheapest on Friday at 152.9. I haven't seen it sub 150 for months. 

London_1

Soontobeoap said:

Wow. Havnt been out in car all week. I think thats 40p cheaper a litre since we last bought any. How long has it been that low? 

I believe it went down on Thursday and someone told me so I made sure I have topped up. I have a 40 mile round trip to do this Thursday as my grndson Jack got the job he was after teaching in a boarding school near Tonbridge and I have to run him there this Thursday for him to see his accomodation and to acclimatise him to his new school which he will start at in January.He is absolutely buzzing about it as he had been shortlisted, but didn't think he would get it.
JackieO xx