Backyard poultry

A guide for the uninitiated on keeping a few hens?

Keeping a few hens in the back garden to provide year round eggs is becoming more and more popular. For this reason we've put together this very basic information as a guide to those starting out.

There are no laws preventing you keeping hens, providing they are looked after properly and their welfare is taken seriously.
However, it is advisable to check your property deeds or consult your landlord to make sure there are no covenants preventing the keeping of 'livestock'.

You also need to consider whether you can give your hens 365 days a year care - and can you make adequate arrangements for when you're on holiday etc?

How many are you are going to keep?

This will probably depend on how many eggs you want. As a rule of thumb a good laying hen will lay about 250 - 300 eggs per year for the first year or two. After the second year the number of eggs laid will reduce considerably. The number laid also depends on the breed of your hens, as well as their health and quality of diet.

The production of eggs is stimulated by day length so, in the winter months, the number laid will naturally reduce unless artificial lighting is introduced.

Do I need to register my 'flock'?

• If you keep 50 or more birds
  You must, by law, register with Defra if you own, or are responsible for, poultry premises with 50 or more birds. This requirement also applies even if the premises is only stocked with 50 or more birds for part of the year.

• If you keep less than 50 birds

  To keep a few hens for a year round supply of fresh eggs there are no requirements to register with anyone but Defra encourage keepers to do so voluntarily as a disease control measure.

  To register voluntarily please contact us.

  There is no cost involved and you will not be contacted.

Go to our Registration Section for contact details.

Where can I keep them?

A small 4 foot by 3 foot hen house or shelter would accommodate a maximum of 12 hens (ie 1 square foot per bird) if they also have an outside run. If they do not have an outside run then a minimum of 4 square feet per bird is required. Remember bigger breeds will need more space.

You should provide some outdoor space for your hens which, if you like your garden, is best fenced off. This is because hens love to scratch about to find seeds, insects, slugs and the like. Unfortunately they also like to eat anything green and, in doing so, they'll uproot small plants and create dust baths.

You also need to keep your hens secure from foxes and cats. Remember - there are foxes in town as well as in the country.

What can I feed my hens?

Commercially produced poulty feed is readily available from a number of outlets in North Somerset such as agricultural merchants, pet shops and some garden centres as well as larger feed producers and wholesalers.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

FEEDING CATERING WASTE TO ANY FOOD PRODUCING ANIMAL* OR BIRD IS ILLEGAL

*Food Producing animals includes ANY pigs, sheep, cattle, goats or poultry.

Cleanliness

Food and water left out for poultry may attract vermin such as rats and mice. Chicken houses may also provide shelter for rats and mice.

To prevent this happening, make it a part of your regular routine to clean the shelters, remove uneaten food and, if possible, move the shelter / run to a fresh location.

In the summer poorly kept poultry may result in unpleasant odours which can attract flies. These can become a nuisance to you and your neighbours which could result in a visit from a council Environmental Health Officer if a complaint is received.

Noise issues

Hens are generally fairly quiet, however cockerels are anything but!

If you do decide to keep a cockerel you run the risk of creating a noise nuisance which may result in a visit from the Council's noise officers if a complaint is received - particularly in urban areas!

Remember - a cockerel is not required for your hens to lay eggs.

What are you going to do with any excess eggs?

If you decide to sell your eggs then it is a legal requirement to register as a food business with our Food and Safety Team in Environmental Health. You will also need to register with the Egg Marketing Inspectorate.

To register please contact the Food and Safety Team on
01934 634633 or visit the North Somerset website. Bear in mind that if you are running a business, you may also require planning permission for a change of use of your property.

Should you decide to only sell eggs to friends, family, over the gate or at a market stall then there are some things you need to know. Our Advice Leaflet contains all the relevant information.

Welfare of your poultry

Under The Animal Welfare Act 2006 it is against the law to be cruel to an animal (including birds) and you must ensure that their welfare needs are met.

These include the need:

• for a suitable and safe environment (place to live)
• for a suitable diet
• to exhibit normal behaviour patterns
• to be housed with, or apart from, other animals or birds (as applicable)
• to be protected from pain, injury, suffering, distress and disease.

Defra produce welfare codes for poultry (these have legal status and must be adhered to). The following booklets can be downloaded from their website:-

• Welfare of laying hens
• Meat chickens and breeding chickens

Clearly, these booklets are aimed at businesses that keep poultry on a large commercial basis. However, they contain useful information for smallholders too.

Consider diseases

Poultry are susceptible to many diseases and need regular checks. One such disease is Avian influenza (Bird Flu) which is a highly contagious viral disease affecting the respiratory, digestive and/or nervous system of many species of birds. It is a notifiable disease and suspect cases must be notified to the Local Authority or Animal Health.

For information about this disease go to our Avian Influenza web page.

Further information

Further information on 'backyard' poultry keeping can be accessed from the links on the left.

North Somerset Council, Trading Standards Service, Somerset House, Oxford Street, Weston super Mare, Somerset, BS23 1TG
Telephone: 01275 888634    Fax: 01275 888683
Electronic Mail: trading.standards@n-somerset.gov.uk