Just a little food for thought. If i were to ask you why you do not currently keep chickens, what would you say? You can’t afford it? They’re too messy? Your garden is too small? Maybe you’ve just never considered it as a viable option before. However, perhaps it is time to reconsider.

Eggs account for a massive amount of our protein intake, and appear in a vast range of recipes. It is strange, therefore, that we do not choose to meet our own need whenever possible. Instead, we buy battery hen eggs, and endorse cruelty to animals, or buy free range eggs, and scrape a little more disposable income off our pay cheque. Think how much better it would be to be able to provide your own eggs: sourced locally (no damage to the environment due to transport and shipment), free range and guaranteed to be completely fresh!

It does not cost an extensive amount of vital funds to set up a chicken coop, nor does it cost a lot to maintain, once it has been established. Chickens are incredibly easily cared for, are family friendly, loveable and importantly: productive. They are a pet that, by nature, pays for itself. Since keeping chickens, we have had a steady steam of eggs each day, and have had no need to purchase any eggs to supplement the laying. The only things we purchase for the chickens are a few medical treatments (e.g de-louser), straw (from Pets at Home, our local pet shop) and chicken feed, which lasts an incredibly long time, and is good value, especially if you allow your chickens to free range around your garden, as they then sate their hunger by eating…just about anything.

This, and having to cleam them out (which is not particularly challenging or repulsive if you use straw, as it simply involves shovelling the straw out of the coop and on to the compost heap), is the only slight drawback to keeping chickens. They tend to leave the garden looking somewhat…henpecked. However, if you simply build (or purchase) a fenced in run of a suitable length, then this issue is completely alleviated.

Therefore, i ask you: what do you have to lose? Chickens are loveable and productive, and provide a sense of life and vibrancy to any garden.

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