Chris

The chickens treat our dogs (a border collie and a boxer cross) with total disdain - what freaks all of them (dogs, chickens, cats etc) is when the ferret comes out of her hutch to play: think furry torpedo with teeth. Sadly ferret is no use whatever in dealing with ants, but has given us the perfect cure for moles!

Thank you for this too, and the salutory warning!  As a country Vicar, on moving to new parishes over the years I've learned to treat everybody I meet as if they might be the mayor until they prove that they aren't!

Thank you for this. Would this require permission, or just a declaration on our part?

We have an instant proactive cure for ants: our chickens. They pounce on the ant nests and eat the lot - they seem to love the refreshing acid tang on a hot day. Fortunately it doesn't come through in the eggs!

We are thinking about buying a property with an attached field and turning the field into a garden, since we are gardeners on a grand scale! In some parts of England this would be regarded as a 'change of use' requiring formal planning permission. Does anybody know what the legal position would be if we did this in France?   All advice gratefully received!