BuryFCA1 Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Hi all, me and my wife are getting 4 hens later this week. We have set up a large plot and are excited. Question is should I inform my neighbours and ask if they have any objections? I would be surprised if they did as the hens are due to be kept on a separate plot however I dont want any complaints in a few weeks if the neighbours are not informed and take objection to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Would your neighbours ask you if they were getting a pet? I wouldn't ask personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackian Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Welcome to the forum,.you will get all the help you need here. I did not tell my neighbours and I live in a terrace block with a small back garden .As my immediate neighbours have cats and dogs(cats that used to poo in our garden and dogs that bark and make more noise than chickens)...and I have neither cat nor dog I have had my girls 10 months now and not a word.My neighbours both sides have never said a word against them . Of course cockrels could be objected too as a lot of councils and neighbours don't allow them Good luck you wont regret it ..Photos please . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Welcome to the forum . I live in a row of houses with fairly small gardens but I didn't tell my neighbours. There is the occasional squarking from my girls but no-one's complained in 4 years. Thankfully next door has little girls who scream a lot and next but one has a dog who barks really loudly . No harm in informing them so they can't say you didn't! Good luck with your girls - you won't regret your decision . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimmyCustard Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I didnt ask anyone either, I've had mine a year in a couple of weeks and "Ooops, word censored!"ody has ever said anything - even when they announce they've laid an egg at the top of their lungs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I wouldn't inform them. They might confuse it with you asking their permission. I'd check your deeds and any local authority clauses though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foulbird Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 no need to ask at all - as Egluntyne said, check your deeds and with the council Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmastar Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I also didnt ask My silkies do make a din sometimes but so do there parrots and other pets so no complants . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memphisto Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Do check with your council (ours was fine except had rules about cockerals) but don't feel obliged to 'have' to tell your neighbour, we did indeed tell our in our last house and it sparked quite a bit of curiosity from their child, who was fascinated by them. Word of mouth spread and we had people knocking on the door for fresh eggs after a while! Great conversation starter though once you have them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heth1986 Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I told mine, well asked them actually! But I have elderly neighbours either side of me and I didn't want to 'ruffle their feathers!'. Luckily they were both quite keen and very interested, giving me lots of good ideas for their run etc. I'd say depends on your relationship with them, it never hurts to drop it into conversation, I think most people would be interested rather than against the idea and even if they're not keen, they'll soon fall in love with them, as will you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaKiw1 Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 We didn't tell or ask our neighbours but after a few weeks when we started getting regular eggs I did take a box of them round and that broke the ice. They were fine and said they'd seen the chooks in the garden anyway and thought they were cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizzyMomma Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 As the others have already said, don't bother, give them a few eggs when you can, but unless you are keeping a cockerel no worries at all other than basic manners at the end of the day! After all did they tell or ask you when/if they could have a pet?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkysmum Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I did ask my neighbours if they minded the idea of us keeping chickens as we wouldn't have gone ahead if anyone objected. Thank fully no one did object and we have had them for 3yrs and 8mths. I know I might be the exception in this but I really don't want to upset neighbours - we need to get on together. We have gone from 2 ex batts to 8 pure breeds. One set of neighbours really likes the ladies and of course they are frequently rewarded with lovely eggs Luckily the others enjoy them too and are also suitably rewarded Do what feels right to you. Alli x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adelochick Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Hi there, Well before getting my pekins I did actually ask both our neighbours on either side of our property if they had any objections to us having some bantams in our back garden. To my relief and delight they both said they'd be happy to see them about, and in fact one of our neighbours has since got their own hens. I did explain the type of breed I'd be getting and that I had no plans to have a cockerel. Also I did check our deeds, but as there are a number of other homes with poultry around us I didn't feel it necessary to make further checks. Both our immediate neighbours have three dogs, and apart from us only one other household in the ten nearest properties don't have dogs. So we are surrounded by barking/howling/clucking or crowing every day! I agree with Sparkysmum, you do what you feel comfortable with. Good luck, Jx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 To help you decide, perhaps think about thisl What are you going to do if you tell/ask (you think you are telling them, but they may interpret it as you asking them) and they object? If you carry on after they have objected, it will cause bad feeling and you will find them complaining at every opportunity. My DH and I couldn't agree about whether or not to mention to the neighbours. He was adamant we must, I was adamant it would be best to tell them afterwards. In the end, we built our walk in run and cube (which our neighbours could see from their garden) and waited to see if the neghbours said anything. They didn't. On the day I got the girls - in fact, as I was gettinf out of the car because I could see my neighbour in her front garden - , I rushed ove and excitedly said "we've just got chickens, do you want to come and meet them?" She came over, said she'd seen us building, and was intrigued by what we were going to keep. And I was able to answer all her questions while she met the girls. They were so gorgeous, she was smitten. Meeting the Girls for real was very different to imagining hens in the abstract. She hen sits for us now, she's brilliant. MIght not work for you, but definitely was the right thing for us, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaLayla Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I asked my neighbours as it was a big outlay and we were not totally sure if we were allowed to keep hens. The other option would have been to check the title deeds but as they are with the lawyer it would probably have cost to find out so it was cheaper to contact the neighbours. Everyone was fine about it. Although I did tell them that I was getting two and now, a couple of years on, we now have four I am happy that I checked though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty14 Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Like Witchhazel , we put the coop in the garden before we got our girls. Our adjoining neighbour noticed it and asked when we were getting the chickens, and if we were getting a cockerel (no). They asked if they could bring their grandkids round when the chooks settled in, which they did and the kids loved them. She says she likes watching them from her bedroom window and has left veg s"Ooops, word censored!"s for them by our front door. Our other neighbours also think they are great and brought their 5 year old daughter round to see them and have put corn out for them on a couple of occasions when we have been away. You'll be surprised how your neighbours take to them, especially when you pop a fresh half dozen their way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
