We have received
the following email from the Council -
At the request of the Council we are posting their email on this blog-site and also posting their current advice on keeping poultry
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Dear Society Secretary,
Further to our previous e-mail in December I am writing to advise that DEFRA
have extended the Avian Flu Prevention Zone to 28th January 2017.
The H5N8 strain of Avian Influenza has been circulating in Europe for several
weeks. An outbreak was confirmed in turkeys at a farm in Lincolnshire on 16
December and a further case was confirmed in a back yard flock in
Carmarthenshire on 3 January.
The disease has also been found in wild birds in Wales, England and Scotland.
The recent H5N8 avian flu findings in wild birds and a backyard flock in Wales
highlight just how essential it is to minimise contact between wild and captive
birds and maintain good biosecurity to reduce the risk of infection.
We would be grateful for your assistance in bringing this information to the
attention of fellow tenants.
Further information is available on the DEFRA website at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/avian-flu-prevention-zone-extended .
From looking
at our records in December, in an effort to contact individual tenants, we are
aware that there are far more tenants with poultry than our records show.
Because of the risks associated with Avian Flu we would like to have more
accurate information easily available, we would therefore be grateful if you
could help us update our records by letting us have a list of plot numbers for
those plots on your site which currently have poultry.
We do provide new
tenants with guidance on keeping poultry and whilst we don’t want to
re-introduce a permission system we would ask that we are made aware by
individual tenants or through your reports of any new poultry keeping on site.
That way we will have the most current information reasonably possible.
Thanks for your help and Happy New Year!
Regards,
Malcolm
Malcolm Russell
Head of Service
(Neighbourhood Services)
Bolton Council
Please also see previous posts on Avian Flu
QUICK CHECKLIST
Use this quick checklist to see if your arrangements for keeping chickens on
your allotment are
likely to meet the requirements of Bolton Council.
§
Food and Water
Your poultry should have continuous access to cool, clean water and an
appropriate diet that is
both plentiful and nutritional.
Housing
A clean, tidy and spacious environment should be maintained which provides
adequate protection
from the weather and predators.
§
Health
It is your responsibility to monitor and maintain a flock free from distress,
pain, injury and disease.
§
Feathered Friends
We expect tenants to maintain high standards of welfare for their birds in
clean, tidy housing. In
this way, everyone can enjoy the presence of poultry on your Bolton Council
allotment.
USEFUL CONTACTS
This leaflet only provides some basic guidelines; we strongly recommend that
you seek further
advice. There are numerous organisations, books and Internet sites, which offer
more detailed
information on how to enjoy and care for your chickens.
§ Living with Chickens, Jay Rossier
§ Keep Chickens! Barbara Kilarski
§ Free-Range Poultry, Katie Thear
§ The Poultry Farmer’s and Manager’s
Veterinary Handbook, Peter W Laing
www.poultryclub.org
www.domesticfowl.co.uk
§
RSPCA national cruelty and advice line -
08705 555 999
Allotment Management
Contact: Neighbourhood Services
Bolton Council
Ellesmere House
Mayor Street Depot
Ellesmere Street
Bolton, BL3 5DT
(01204) 334067
e-mail: allotments@bolton.gov.uk
These guidelines have been produced in line with RSPCA recommendations.
MORE DETAILED GUIDANCE
(this (and the above) information is provided in the form of a leaflet to all
new tenants by Bolton Council. The rules set out are those of the Council and have not been devised or set out by any individual society.
1. INTRODUCTION
This leaflet has been produced to give you some important basic guidelines as
to the minimum standards expected of tenants who keep poultry (hens) on
allotments.
Failure to notify the Council that you intend to keep poultry as detailed in
your tenancy agreement or to meet the minimum standards in these guidelines may
result in the termination of your allotment tenancy. If approved you may keep
between 3 and 12 hens.
If you chose to keep animals on your allotment you must check on them daily,
provide competent care and management and have the knowledge and skills to
ensure the wellbeing of your animals. In addition, you are expected to keep
them under proper control to avoid disturbance to others.
Bolton Council has the right to inspect livestock at anytime. If the Council
has cause to investigate cases or complaints of maltreatment, costs of vets or
other official inspections will be passed to the Tenant for payment.
We strongly recommend you seek further detailed guidance on keeping poultry.
2. FEED
Your chickens should have continuous and plentiful access to;
Cool, clean and fresh water §
Provision of feed of a type appropriate to the age and species of animal, fed
in sufficient quantities, and sufficiently frequently, to maintain them in good
health and satisfy their nutritional needs.
Insoluble grit to aid digestion
Foodstuffs should be stored and fed such that it is kept clean, tidy and
properly protected from rodents and other pests
3. HOUSING
In addition to effective containment, housing is also important in ensuring the
welfare of your birds and should allow the expression of natural behaviour.
Although it is advised that you make the housing as large and comfortable as
possible, as a minimum, the accommodation will be expected to compromise of;
A HENHOUSE
Minimum size of 2 square feet (0.2m2) per
chicken
Fully enclosed shelter that provides;
§ Protection from predators
A clean, dry bedding material to absorb moisture and odour
(suitable choices are
wood
shavings or straw)
§Warmth during the colder months and
shade
during the summer
§ Adequate ventilation but
draught-free
§ Perches for sleeping, approximately
3-5cms wide with rounded corners to enable them to grip.
§ Nest Boxes for laying eggs.
AN OUTDOOR RUN
§ Minimum size of 4 square feet
(0.4m2) per chicken
Should provide the chicken(s) with plenty of space to dig, dust themselves and
flap their wings
Both should be regularly maintained to a good, tidy standard and free from
obvious faults that
may cause injury.
4. HEALTH
You will be held responsible for ensuring that your livestock is free from
distress, pain, injury and disease. Appropriate preventative and/or veterinary
treatment should be available at all times.
SANITATION
In order to maintain healthy livestock and reduce odour problems, the run and
hen-house should be cleaned a minimum of once a week or more frequently as
necessary
With respect to the above, the deep litter system is not acceptable on Bolton
Council allotments
Poultry kept on the same ground for more than a month will need regular worming
Any health serious/longstanding or contagious problems MUST be reported to the
Neighbourhood Services as soon as possible, as well as detail of the treatment
being received and notification when the problem has cleared.
5. FEATHERED FRIENDS
Poultry need companionship and should be kept in-groups of two or more.
Provided your chickens are happy, healthy birds they should not become a
nuisance to others. It is important however to be aware of potential
problems, such as dirty sites attracting vermin and causing smells.
Please note that due to potential noise problems, Cockerels are not permitted
on Bolton Council Allotments.