rarara Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Hi everyone! I was just wondering if anyone has ever had any problems keeping chickens in Manchester. I live in an ex council property in a very inner city area (most kids around here prob don't know eggs come from chickens ). Do you foresee any possible issues? I really want to keep some chickens and give my son and (i'm expecting) a valuable experience (or what I think would be an awesome experience). Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Normally I believe the guidelines are that as long as you dont cause a nuisance (smell or noise I guess) you will be ok however...! Ex council houses often carry strange covenants even when owned privately so its worth checking that out. We have just bought an ex council house and ours has a few restrictions, we felt so strongly that we wanted chickens that we got the solicitor to check it out especially! (cost us extra for two letters ) Some historical covenants restrict you on keeping livestock so its sometimes a matter of approaching the council to see if the modern 'henomenon' ( ) of keeping backyard chickens is deemed as keeping livestock. When you bought the house you would have been given some sort of details on this so its worth just dusting it off and double checking it or if your filing isn't up to much giving your council a call. Good luck - keeping chickens is tons of fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larkspurs Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 I couldn't answer your question specifically about Manchester but there are a few forum members who do keep inner city chickens who would probably help you with their opinion and experiences. General advice incoming! I'd check with the council for byelaws and also check either your tenancy agreement or deeds to the property for any rules/covenants that would prevent you keeping chickens first. Then your next concern is where would they go, would they produce noise and smell? As for the where would they go that's up to you to decide (don't know if you have a garden or yard etc), noise and smell is something I had trouble answering - read this post for some good info: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=36551 - It helped me anyway. Then there are the neighbours, would they mind you keeping chickens? Free eggs sometimes persuade them! I hope you get the advice you seek and eventually get some chickens! Good luck and welcome! Edit: Redwing beat me to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Webmuppet Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Two things to consider How are you going to get rid of the waste (bedding & poo) - do you have a 'green waste' wheely bin? Also what sort of chickens do you want- bantams or 'normal sized' chickens or a mix. Kids love the bantam sized chickens as they are easier to pick up and carry around ( I have an 8 year old who often wanders around with a bantam under each arm ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rarara Posted January 1, 2009 Author Share Posted January 1, 2009 Thanks so much for the replies!! Redwing: I'm going to dig out my papers and have a look and see what i find. Wish me luck Larkspurs: I have a garden/lawn with a path down the middle I was thinking of putting an eglu on there. When I say i'm in the early stages of this I mean really early stages. There are many things I will have to put in place before I can own any chickens ( so please forgive me all my silly questions to come). Firstly whether i can have them I have to revamp my garden and fencing before I can think about it. Gotta make sure those chooks are safe Would my neighbours mind? Well my auntie might lol! But tough! She'll have to put up with it My other immediate neighbours, I don't foresee a problem but you never know. Lots of bribing with free eggs I think. I guess I just think they would have more complaint if i had a barking dog iykwim. If I decided to get rabbits would they have cause for complaint? My auntie will be getting a new fence out of it so... Mrs Webmuppet: As for waste I was thinking a compost bin (i don't have a green bin). Remember i'm in the early stages here but reading up people have said that the newspaper takes a while to breakdown. Is it feasible to s"Ooops, word censored!"e the poo off? Do chickens create a great deal of mess? What do people do if they don't have a green bin? As for the size of the chickens I have no idea I've really not got that far but bantams are already sounding good I think i'll have to visit some chickens to see the difference in size. After all my research I then have to create a proposal for my husband who I envisage won't be too happy. He's already got wind of it and jokingly said no. But I want to make sure I've got all my bases covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madchickenlady Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Just thought I'd add something If you're deeds prohibit keeping livestock, I suspect that you might be able to argue that a breed such as pekins bantams, or any small pure breed, aren't technically livestock. They are classed as ornamentals, so perhaps the same as keeping an aviary of budgies? Of course, you won't get the size or volume of egg production as you would with hybrids, but it might be a loop hole As for the neighbours, I just popped around and let them know my plans. I made it clear that I wouldn't be keeping a cockerel, and would only be keeping a very small flock (I think I said maximum of 3, I know have, er, 6 ) To be honest, I find keeping a few bantams no messier/smellier etc than keeping a few rabbits/guinea pigs. I did check my deeds, which had no clause. I also phoned my local council to ask for advice, but "Ooops, word censored!"ody seemed to know (or care!). Oh, I don't live in Manchester , but I do live on a modern housing estate with neighbours both sides and at the bottom. I've been keeping chooks for 6 months, and there have been no problems Get chooks, you won't regret it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rarara Posted January 1, 2009 Author Share Posted January 1, 2009 Just thought I'd add something If you're deeds prohibit keeping livestock, I suspect that you might be able to argue that a breed such as pekins bantams, or any small pure breed, aren't technically livestock. They are classed as ornamentals, so perhaps the same as keeping an aviary of budgies? Of course, you won't get the size or volume of egg production as you would with hybrids, but it might be a loop hole As for the neighbours, I just popped around and let them know my plans. I made it clear that I wouldn't be keeping a cockerel, and would only be keeping a very small flock (I think I said maximum of 3, I know have, er, 6 ) To be honest, I find keeping a few bantams no messier/smellier etc than keeping a few rabbits/guinea pigs. I did check my deeds, which had no clause. I also phoned my local council to ask for advice, but "Ooops, word censored!"ody seemed to know (or care!). Oh, I don't live in Manchester , but I do live on a modern housing estate with neighbours both sides and at the bottom. I've been keeping chooks for 6 months, and there have been no problems Get chooks, you won't regret it! Thank for the info I love that you are all enablers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
