Chickens locked away?

Hoo · Feb 17, 2017

Apart from the large scale poultry farmers am I the only person to have locked their chickens away as directed by DEFRA?
I have spent time and money ensuring wild birds can't get to my few chickens, yet no one else in our area seems to have done so. Everywhere I drive I see chickens out in back gardens and paddocks. When I pointed out to a near neighbour that their chickens should be locked away they told me I didn't know what I was talking about!

Dman2 · Feb 17, 2017

Our 12 have been locked up as well

Castle Farm · Feb 17, 2017

Looks like nobody around here have bothered.

Goatherderess · Feb 17, 2017

Mine are in, masses out round here

Netherfield · Feb 17, 2017

It's like the people using their mobile while driving, it doesn't apply to them.

Chap across the road from me has a pigeon loft with a few ducks, geese and hens roaming around, he only lets them out at weekend "less chance of catching something that way".

Grain Buyer · Feb 17, 2017

my 3 are back out.

Dry Rot · Feb 17, 2017

Mine are usually free range, but I have them locked up. They don't like it and I don't like it!

Townie neighbour religiously locks his up at night against the foxes, then lets them out again in the morning!

There need to be a few prosecutions. Especially of townie neighbours.

borderterribles · Feb 17, 2017

I've put wire netting over part of our chicken pen, and they are fastened in the enclosed part. On the first day, three Jackdaws got in with them, but they've gone now, and those ones won't be back!

Sonoftheheir · Feb 17, 2017

My 3 ducks have been in since it started. Went to a training coarse the other week and their chooks were still roaming around!

Lincs Lass · Feb 17, 2017

Some Dk head put three young cockerels over the yard fence last night ,,thats three more we cant catch ,

spin cycle · Feb 17, 2017

it's a load of bollox.....where's the evidence it does any good.....any day now my yard will be full of hen pheasants....has happened last 2 years

Cows 'n grass · Feb 17, 2017

We have a roost of about 10000 starlings only 500m from the farm, we're between two shoots so the farm in overrun with pheasants and I have a very busy bird table just outside the back door.

What difference is shutting in my 6 chickens going to make?

Lincs Lass · Feb 17, 2017

Cows 'n grass said:
We have a roost of about 10000 starlings only 500m from the farm, we're between two shoots so the farm in overrun with pheasants and I have a very busy bird table just outside the back door.

What difference is shutting in my 6 chickens going to make?

Pretty much the same here ,50-60 wild ducks in and out the yard all day,,pigeons always round ,,a dozen peacocks that roam the village ,starlings roosting in an old ivy covered tree at night

borderterribles · Feb 17, 2017

spin cycle said:
it's a load of bollox.....where's the evidence it does any good.....any day now my yard will be full of hen pheasants....has happened last 2 years

I totally agree that it's a load of bollox, but there are lots of peeps round here gone big into poultry fairly recently and if it goes badly for any of them, bird flu-wise, I don't want the finger pointed at me!

oldoaktree · Feb 17, 2017

Mine locked up but seen loads out . Maybe the defra chaps could actually do something useful and fine some of them might make the others tow the line

Kidds · Feb 17, 2017

Maybe the DEFRA people could tell us how it is going to make a scrap of difference locking backyard hens away.
I can't see how it can when there's wild birds all over the place anyway.

Dry Rot · Feb 17, 2017

It's DEFRA for goodness sake!

One should not mock the afflicted!

Old Boar · Feb 17, 2017

I spent a fair bit of time netting a run, it was already netted up the sides to 7ft, so just put some fruit cage netting over the top, fastened with yellow clothes pegs! Very attractive, but I have tried. Surrounded by hens, geese and ducks out though. I have wild ducks on the pond, as well as moorhens, and lots of pheasants kicking about. Not sure my bit of netting is going to save them all from the flu!

suffolksmallholder · Feb 17, 2017

I have just come home from a very pleasant evening with a number of the farming community. All of whom regard the DEATHRA edict as BOLLO*ks.The main reason being this; If you have a healthy flock of poultry well kept, free range and with access to clean water there should be absolutely no issue. Penning them in will only cause stress which as has been proved is detrimental to any animals health.

Fine if you keep your animals in a tiny three foot space in semi-darkness with only limited access to the outside world or in pens where they cannot even turn around in

but to those who have ethics and keep their animals in quality conditions this really is not an issue.
SS

neilo · Feb 17, 2017

borderterribles said:
I totally agree that it's a load of bollox, but there are lots of peeps round here gone big into poultry fairly recently and if it goes badly for any of them, bird flu-wise, I don't want the finger pointed at me!

Our farm buildings and house are sat between 2 four acre lakes. Big numbers haven't arrived back yet, but we currently have over 100 geese wandering about, as well as the usual ducks, corvids, pheasants, etc. Shutting my 4 chucks in is not going to prevent spread of anything in the wild birds, all it 'might' do is protect my 4 chucks from infection. If it's in the wild population, they will spread it uncontrolled anyway.
Shutting commercial flocks away from (possibly infected) wild birds is clearly sensible to protect those commercial flocks, but that's all.

The DEFRA edict is just daft. I've yet to see any arguement to support the regulations, as applied to back garden chucks.

Chickens locked away?

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

Share this page