Keeping chickens follows a long tradition of poultry keeping that reaches back for millennia. Chickens have lots of character and they’re fairly easy to keep in most back gardens, even for beginners, once you’ve learnt about their habits and requirements. But before you make the decision to keep chickens, it’s important to consider whether you’ve got the time and resources to look after them and if there are any bylaws in your area or specific to your house that set restrictions on chicken keeping. You have a legal responsibility to ensure the needs of your chickens are met.
What does the law say about keeping chickens at home?
In most cases, you can keep chickens legally in your garden. The new law for keeping chickens at home in the UK requires all flocks of poultry or other captive birds – even if you just keep a single bird – to be registered within a month of starting to keep them with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on the Great Britain Poultry Register (GBPR) or the Scottish Kept Bird Register (SKBR). If you live in Scotland and are currently on the GBPR, you should have reregistered on the SKBR. This ensures that you receive any important information about disease outbreaks in your area (such as bird flu), and helps prevent the spread of disease. It’s important to contact a vet if you’re concerned about the health and welfare of your birds.
In some areas or properties there are byelaws, covenants, stipulations in the house deeds, or other regulations that prohibit you from keeping chickens, so it’s a good idea to check before you buy any birds. In other cases, it’s not prohibited, but keeping a cockerel could cause noise level issues with your neighbours.
It’s worth being aware that it’s illegal to feed your chickens kitchen scraps, even if you live in a vegan house. Feeding mealworms to chickens is also banned in the UK. In both cases, these laws are intended to prevent the sort of cross species feeding that’s thought to have caused the 2001 outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease.
Noise levels
Keeping a cockerel may be prohibited in some areas. If you decide to buy a cockerel, make sure the early morning wake-up call won’t disturb you or your neighbours. Cockerels crowing for long periods, at unsociable hours or in built up areas are likely to constitute a Statutory Nuisance, which could mean you have to address the noise or face a fine.
How many chickens should you start with?
The RSPCA recommends keeping at least three chickens that get on well together, so these social animals have company. Just make sure you have sufficient room for the number of chickens, including a suitable sized coop and enough room outside for them to roam.
How many eggs can you expect?
Keeping a small number of chickens for eggs is unlikely to save you money, but it does help with self-sufficiency and reduces food miles. It also provides you with the opportunity to collect fresh eggs yourself – a task particularly enjoyed by children.
Choosing your coop
As well as needing an outdoor area to roam in with short grass, shelter, dry soil for dust baths, and food and water, your chickens will need a coop where they can sleep and lay their eggs. Before choosing your coop, you should ensure it provides:
- A warm, dry environment with good ventilation
- Excellent protection against wild animals like foxes and rats
- Sufficient space, so with three chickens, choose a coop that will accommodate four or more
- Areas for perching and nest boxes for egg laying
- Covered flooring – wood shaving or straw (not hay) is ideal
- An entrance that the chickens can use without crouching
Clean and disinfect coops and anything inside them regularly to prevent disease and remove parasites.
Feeding
Chickens need to be provided with food and fresh water every day. Commercial formulated feeds should be chosen based on the breed and age of your chickens. Chickens also require grit, which they keep for a while in their gizzards to help them digest their food. Ensure feeding and drinking dispensers are safe for chickens, and cleaned regularly. Wear gloves, masks and other appropriate protective equipment when cleaning chicken coops and feeders/drink dispensers. Clean outside and always keep cleaning materials away from household items.
Treats Routine
You can feed chickens treats, but they should be given sparingly to ensure they get the nutrition they need from their main feed. Check that food is suitable for chickens before giving it as a treat and don’t feed them scraps from the kitchen, as this is illegal.
General health
Healthy chickens should be lively, bright-eyed and interested in eating, drinking and preening. Get to know your chickens and check them regularly, then you’re more likely to pick up any issues early. If your chicken is hunched up, listless and hides away, check more closely for signs of illness. Always consult your vet if you’re concerned about the health of your chickens.
Hot Weather
Chickens can overheat in hot weather. When temperatures rise, make sure you’ve provided:
- Plenty of fresh cool water placed in the shade
- Areas to dust bathe
- Well ventilated coop in the shade
- Shady places where they can keep as cool as possible
Keep a close eye on your chickens when it’s hot. Signs of heat stress include panting with an open mouth, little appetite and lethargy.
Cold weather
Chickens are generally fairly resilient to cold weather, but there are measures you should take to keep chickens warm in winter:
- Ensure the coop is wind- and water-proof
- Make sure their water doesn’t freeze in winter by checking it and replacing it regularly, and using warm water to reduce the likelihood of it freezing
- Provide extra bedding and change it regularly
- Chickens need to be kept dry or they are likely to become ill in the cold
- Make sure they have shelter outside and access to the coop
Visit the RSPCA and the British Hen Welfare Trust for more information on keeping chickens.
Frequently asked questions
How many days can chickens be left alone?
Chickens should not be left alone for any number of days. They need to be visited a minimum of two times during the day – to let them out and check their water and food, and to put them away again at night. If you go away, ask a friend or neighbour to look after your chickens and, as a bonus, they might get fresh eggs.
Is it dangerous to keep chickens in your house?
There are dangers associated with keeping chickens in your house. Chickens can carry bacteria and other pathogens that make humans ill, such as those that cause salmonella, bird flu and campylobacteriosis. Poultry dust from bedding, droppings, feathers and other airborne particles associated with chickens can cause respiratory disease and worsen asthma symptoms. They should be kept outside with other chickens.
* This article was originally published here
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