Selfsufficientish.com

Our house is freehold.

Funnily enough I asked the neighbours a few years ago if they minded me getting chickens, they said they did mind because they were too noisy. I swore I would get some once they moved. We have new neighbours now on both sides, we get on fairly well with both, though one side are a bit chavvy. The replaced the trellis that separated our two gardens with 6 foot fencing which upset me not just because it meant less light to our garden but because it meant that they obviously didn't want to be neighbourly and wanted to pretend we didn't exist so they didn't have to say hello if we were both out at the same time.
Interestingly our deeds also say that front gardens have to be kept as lawn and neither have, although it was already like that when they moved in.
Sorry, rambling now.
Out of interest, exactly how loud are chickens? (no cockerel)

Noisy enough that the neighbours having some put my OH off and won't let me have any If the neighbours have decent double glazing, it shouldn't be a problem, but the neighbours' chucks woke Peter up a few times early morning, even without a cockerel. I'm not sure if some breeds might be quieter layers?

SusieGee wrote:I suspect it depends on the size of the eggs they are laying

Probably. I also would like to add Peter has been a city lad far too long and is overly sensitive to anything like that. He was about ready to go out and strangle the guinea fowl when we were last on holiday.

Well no offence,but I'm staggered that someone could be woken by a hen! Presumably you dont get a dawn chorus!

I suppose if you're used to the sounds,you don't hear them,whenever I'm in Central London(at the outlaws) I can only sleep with earplugs and large amounts of alcohol.

Cockerels,dogs,spouses,now they're loud...................but hens??

No, we don't get any bird song here, unfortunately. Morning noises tend to be a neighbour arguing or the mosque during Ramadan.

Well I need to comment back again regarding the bus.. no its not a bus "bus" in terms of doing a school run etc. Its a ex council 22 seater bus thats now turned into a camper (Mercedes T2 Chassis 611 if anyone into these things). its no noiseier than my car in terms of starting it. Yes It was in fact out of Jealously as I made my intentions clear and the (zbs!) next door to me started to getting very verbal (and at one point phyical) over the colour of the roof of the bus (as they can see it from "their" kitchen windows where it's quiet legally parked on the road I own)

Anyway, same chavvy couple complained to the council over my hens 3 year ago odd.. as it was keeping them awake at night and waking them up in the morning (considering these houses have double glazing)

Yeah.. such is life living next door to anti Self selfuicent mob I would be glad when they bugger off (as there is a for sale board up, came up for sale 5 months after I put mine up for sale) Says it all that karma has come to bite them on the arse.

Mine are really noisy and I'm always on edge about it. Most of my neighbours are fine and the ones I've asked said they quite like the noise (many of them were evacuated to farms when they were children and it brings back fond memories). I do worry about the bitter old bat next door and her daughters, though. I don't get on with them and I wouldn't put it past them to make a complaint.

Helsbells wrote:Reeeally want chickens, but the deeds to our house say no pets other than dogs and cats and specifies no poultry. I am sure the neighbours wouldn't mind (or notice) but could I get into trouble? Also can I cope with the work and the fact that our garden is only about 20 foot by 25 foot ish?

There’s always the 25-year rule to fall back on. If the covenant is breached for 25 years or more with no objection by the person/s with the benefit of it, then they have accepted the breach and it’s unenforceable. Do you plan to keep chooks for a long time?

Don't plan on staying in this house for 25 years so can't see it getting to that point.

I have 3 pure-bred Barnvelders and 4 hybrid layers. The Barnvelders occasionally make loud honking noises like a goose (when one starts the others join in) but the hybrids are silent apart from the usual "I just laid an egg" noise and the clucking when they're interacting with each other or with me. I keep the neighbours sweet by giving them eggs (but we're rural and the neighbours aren't exactly physically close [say 50 yards away]).

Bantams tend to be quieter as they're smaller.

Zoe

If you got two or three bantam Silky hens you could tell the neighbors they were "Peruvian Ground Parrots" and they'd probably never know. Silkies don't look very much like chooks at all.