[Ket]

Hi folks. 
Can someone please tell me if I get a holding number for my garden (1 acre) to keep a couple of goats, will my council tax be affected?

[Roxy]

Yes, you need a CPH number, whether its a garden or field.  Will not affect your council tax!! 

[sokel]

No it wont change your council tax

[Ket]

Thanks both.
What are the advantages/disadvantages having a holding number?

[Anke]

If you want some goats you will need a holding number -goats (even pygmies) are classified as farm animals and a such fall under the DEFRA remit. So you will have to get your holding number (CPH) BEFORE you get your goats as you will need it for the transport documents.
 
Lots of info on the DEFRA website.
 
The rues and regs will take a while to comprehend, but once you have done it a few times it all becomes clearer.

[plumseverywhere]

Don't forget to check on your house deeds etc that there are no covenants or rules against livestock of any kind. Especially pertinent if you are looking to keep in a domestic garden. 

[Ket]

Thanks that's great!   

[Lesley Silvester]

My deeds say no livestock but my goats are pets. 

[Torrin37]

My deeds are very specific - dogs and cats are ok but nothing else apart from 'feathered birds which live inside the residence' 

Luckily no-one noticed the chickens I kept for 4 years but I'm not sure I'd get away with goats! 

[shygirl]

my dads deeds had "no chickens" which was a shame as it was very rural. i wonder who makes these clauses?.

[plumseverywhere]

Someone with nothing better to do, I bet!!

My dad lives in a tiny bungalow with diddy garden in the cotswolds, his deeds say 'no pigs' - nothing about cows though 

[Anke]

my dads deeds had "no chickens" which was a shame as it was very rural. i wonder who makes these clauses?.

If he lives in an old estate cottage it would have been the original landowner - often the agri workers had lots of restrictions on what type of animals they were allowed to keep. Often to do with having cottages in a row and gardens not securely fenced off - so no goats, pigs or poultry. Agri workers often changed jobs every couple of years, so moving animals was not possible, esp with housing for them etc etc.
 
One book I read they were allowed a house cow, but not goats. Women milked the cow, sold the calf as early as possible, made the cream into butter (to be sold) and fed the skimmed milk to the pigs/children etc.

[Roxy]

My friend moved to a house with a nice pond.  Then discovered in the deeds that she could not keep any sort of poultry - such a shame with a nice pond waiting.  Very strange, as the garden was away from any neighbours, and such a lot of people DO keep hens etc. in little gardens nowadays.....unless they just do it without thinking of any clauses