[CameronS]

Do you need a CPH before you register your chickens with defra?

[jameslindsay]

Cameron as far as I know you only have to register once you have a certain amount. I think with ducks its over 49 before you register, no idea with hens.

[CameronS]

It's  50+ for everything i think. With the arrival of my new house our numbers will be rising to the 50 mark, so i think it's better to be safe than sorry 

[whitby_sam]

We're heading that way too... Is it simple enough to do?

[little blue]

Its 'more than 49' chickens, but you can register having any number - this gives you a heads up on any outbreaks of disease near you.
Just find the number of your local animal health office (may not be all that local, and ours changed without them telling us from stafford to leicester... we're in the middle of Derbyshire!) from the defra website and phone them up.
We did this before having the goats & oigs, and only 6 chickens and they were very helpful

[langdon]

is there a cost for this

[CameronS]

i have the form printed off (and wasted half a tree in doing so) and sat on my lap, i'm in the prosess of filling it in. it's gonna be a long night  

[CameronS]

Gave up, did it online 

[little blue]

I seem to think we did it over the 'phone?! but I could be wrong...

[shetlandpaul]

we did the same it costs nothing and is very easy.

[doganjo]

Are there any advantages?

[shetlandpaul]

no. apart from you can then say you defra registed. and you get warned if there is any nasty bugs about. i think its more to trace and cull if there is an h5n1 bug.

[Roxy]

I did mine over the phone, and it took about 20 minutes.  I found some of the questions a  bit hard to answer - like how many hens come on and off the holding over the course of a year.  Well, being a hen rescue collection point, and some staying for a while that was not easy to say.  Lady insisted I gave a number though.  Then how many were layers, breeders, meat birds, etc.  The only thing she did not ask was what I did with the eggs....and lets face it, out of 8o hens, I must get some!!!