[micky.b]

I have had my allotment for 5yrs plus now and i want to keep hens. I have just renovated the old tennats hen house and plan to keep about six to eight hens. I have made a fence around with the mesh panels you see around building sites six foot high and eight foot long. I have four of these next to my hen house.One allotment holder has complained to the council about me and  we are having a meeting regarding the issue.The complainer is saying i have no right to put up this fence, and they don't like looking at my hen house.My fence is not permanent as it clips together and the base is a plastic block, i have this sunk two feet into the ground so mr fox will not get in.Has anyone got any advice for me as to where i stand? plus the houses are new builds and the allotments have been there long before them, so the complainer new they were buying next to allotments.

[8doubles]

If they purchased a house next to allotments they should expect to see sheds and similar structures.
If you paint the wire fencing black it is far less visable , better for you and the whinging neighbour.

[newatthis]

hi and welcome, not sure what to say but i have that sort of fencing around my chicken coop as i didnt have the funds to build with wire mesh but you may find a lot of people that sort of fencing around their coops... but let us know how the meeting goes

[Elcie]

Good luck with this.  I guess it will come down to the rules of your allotment site.  If they allow chickens and structures to house chickens then I can't see there being a problem.

[lisa80]

It depends on whats in your contract i think.Ours states we are allowed a few chickens but no mention of ducks or geese therefore they are not allowed.If it mentions chickens then you should be ok .has anyone else got chickens down there?

[amckeen]

You mentioned a complaint to the Council.  If the allotments are run by the Council then hens are not a problem as they are specifically allowed in the Allotment Act 1950 (along with rabbits and pigeons).

If the site is a private one then that would be a different matter as they can set their own rules.

Regarding the hen house and run fencing - that could be an area of contention but would be covered by the site rules.  Often they refer to things like getting permission before erecting structures over 7' tall or so (the height of a typical shed for instance).  A hen house would be governed by these principles but most are no bigger than a standard shed.

As to the run - it sounds like you have used weldmesh panels.  Obviously they do look a bit industrial, which I presume is the main basis of the complaint, but they generally run to only 6-7' tall.  If you painted them green or brown they would blend in more, or a different colour would help make them 'prettier' I suppose.

The compainer should think about it - would they rather you kept the girls contained within a fence or would they like them roaming into their garden and eating everything that is green.  Hens are fantastic escape artists and would end up all over the place.

Good luck, and as said above, keep us updated.

[Flowerpower136]

You could offer to grow something up the mesh?  Something fast like hop?  Though as previously suggested, spray in black or dark green and it won't be nearly as obvious.

What you describe doesn't seem to be out of character for an allotment, and as prevously said, if they bought a house next to an allotment, what do they expect to see from their windows?

Hope the meeting goes well.

[Caralou]

I worried about how my run would look, but so far my neighbour seems happy enough with it thankfully. However, in order to minimise the industrial look of the panels I intend to use coloured wood stain and then am going to plant some fast growing shrubs etc along the front panels (but out of the reach of the chooks who will otherwise probably eat them before they get a chance to grow!) so that it is pleasant and partially screened. Perhaps you could use a similar combination