CONVICTED (2021) | Douglas Oliphant, born c. 1964, and Michelle Wilkinson, born 14 December 1967, both of 107 Dalton Avenue, Lynemouth, Morpeth NE61 5TF – kept 23 ducks and chickens in tiny filthy cages.
Oliphant and Wilkinson kept the birds in plastic recycling crates covered with netting and rabbit hutches in their two-bedroom, mid-terraced house in Lynemouth.
Six cockerels were being forced to live in a single crate.
The pair also kept a dog and two cats in inadequately sized cages, which didn’t have a clean supply of fresh drinking water or suitable bedding.
All the animals were seized after an inspection by the RSPCA.
Oliphant and Wilkinson each pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to ensure animal welfare.
Alex Bousfield, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said the animals were seized on July 27, 2021.
“This is a case that involves quite a large number of animals, 26 in total, all housed in quite a small dwelling – a mid-terraced, two-bedroom house, which was entirely unsuitable for the occupation of these animals”, Mr Bousfield continued.
“It was so crowded and it was not suitable and not healthy for the defendants either.
“RSPCA inspectors intervened at an early stage so, thankfully, only one duck had any health issues and that was something to do with a leg and not related to its housing conditions.
“Six cockerels were being kept in a recycling tub with netting on the top and other birds were being kept in rabbit hutches.
“Clearly, they were being fed and watered as there were no problems with the animals’ weight.”
The court heard that the chickens and ducks were covered in their own faeces, as were the cages they were being kept in.
Mr Bousfield said Oliphant and Wilkinson had not been deliberately cruel but rather didn’t have the knowledge or capability to look after the animals.
Mr Harrison, defending, said the retired couple, who already owned the cats and dog, had bought the birds in a bid to make a “better and more simple” life for themselves.
He told the court that Oliphant was intending to keep them in his allotment but hadn’t got it ready in time.
“With a mixture of naivety and poor planning, the birds grew and their needs grew much quicker than anticipated,” Mr Harrison added.
The court heard that the pair, who had been living in “hoarding conditions”, had now cleaned out their home.
The couple were allowed to keep the two cats and the dog.
Sentencing | 12-month conditional discharge; £300 in costs. Banned from keeping fowl for 12 months (expired December 2022).