How to raise Backyard Chickens: [CHICKENS-101] Re: Feeding food scraps the reality of it all

How odd - I thought I posted on this and my post seems to have vanished!

Anyway, I phoned DEFRA yesterday and spoke to their duty vet. She went off to find out and phoned me back - the law definitely applies to private individuals, prohibiting them from feeding to their chicken any scraps from their own kitchen. It seems plum crazy to me. I can see the sense in prohibiting the feeding of meat, but crusts of bread or leftover rice? That's just ridiculous.

I suspect that very few UK back garden chicken keepers are aware of this law (all the books on keeping chickens say you can feed them scraps) and I don't think any effort is put into enforcing it. However, because of my troublesome neighbours I have decided that I will have to abide by it. If they succeed in getting the council to come and inspect my chickens for odour, I want to be squeaky clean in all ways.

BSE was devastating to UK agriculture. Fortunately so far the incidence of the human form (CJD) has not been the epidemic that was once feared. Foot-and-mouth (circa 2001?) was also devastating to British agriculture, so I can understand why DEFRA are so vigilant.

I suppose being in island means that we can take precautions that wouldn't be possible if we were in mainland Europe - for example, until recent years any animal entering the UK had to be quarantined for 6 months, to avoid rabies.

Best wishes

Chrissie

--- In CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com, CathrynTherese Fitch Walden <cathryntherese@...> wrote:
>
> Jeanette, Until Chrissie wrote DEFRA I couldn't find the law either, and it didn't show up in my googling. I do remember the law passing and the related articles. It looks like the law has been further reinforced recently. Because the UK is an islang, they've had to take drastic moves to prevent disease in livestock. I wonder if I planted squash andn tomatoes just for my chickens if that would be considered kitchen waste if I never brought it in to the house. The law sounds really strict and it's clear they mean businenss.
>
> http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/environmentandgreenerliving/smallholders/dg_189309
> http://animalhealth.defra.gov.uk/managing-disease/animalbyproducts/collection-feeding-abp/Ban-on-feeding-of-kitchen-scraps-to-pet-poultry-and-other-pet-farmed-animals.asp
> http://animalhealth.defra.gov.uk/keeping-animals/caring/illegal-feeding/index.htm
>
>
> CathrynrainbowsilkiesTMMichigan