Am I allowed to keep chickens?

This is a question many would-be hobbyists has asked. The answer all depends on your living arrangements. If you live in rented accommodation then you should check your lease agreement to see whether pets including chickens. If it doesn’t then ask your landlord or letting agent for clarification.

If you are a homeowner then keeping chickens on your property shouldn’t be an issue. However, do check with your local council to see if there are any local By-Laws, occasionally there will be restrictions on a property or local area that bans the keeping of poultry. Also, check for any restrictive covenants that may be in your house deeds. To do this you will need a copy of the Title Register. Title registers can be checked on the HM’s Land Registry website for a small fee of £3. Restrictive Covenants are recorded in the C section of the Title Register.

Keeping Hens on Allotments

Legislation in place, the 1950 Allotment Act allows you to keep hens on your allotment. This is so long as they are only for the use of the tenants and not used for business or profit. However, if your chickens are regarded as a nuisance or a health hazard, or their welfare is affected they can be removed.

You can download the Welfare Of Animals On Allotments leaflet produced by the RSPCA on their website.

Securing Hens

Keeping hens can be a very rewarding hobby. If you do take the hobby up you will need to keep your flock secure. This is where we at Alphapet can help. Our Walk-in chicken runs are made just for this purpose. We stock a variety of sizes starting with a very popular 3m x 2m chicken run which is perfect for small flocks. For the large flocks out there we stock 3 bigger sizes with our largest being our 3m x 8m chicken run which proves very popular for small holdings and those with larger garden space available.

Poultry Registration

Compulsory registration

You must register with The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) using the compulsory registration form found on their website here within one month of keeping 50 or more birds on your premises. You’re breaking the law if you do not register. The law applies if you keep:

• 50 or more birds captive for any period of time
• flocks made up of different species, such as chickens, ducks or geese
• birds for: the consumption of meat and eggs; other commercial purposes; restocking game birds; or breeding for these 3 purposes

Voluntary registration

You can choose to register fewer than 50 birds, or birds you keep as pets. The APHA encourages you to register even if you do not have to by law.

By registering,

• APHA will be able to contact you if there’s a disease outbreak (such as bird flu) in your area
• you’ll help prevent the spread of disease and protect the national poultry flock