How to keep chickens

Got a back garden and fancy an unlimited supply of free (range) eggs? Then keeping a couple of chickens could be for you. Juliet Vine shares with us some of the benefits.

With the current popularity in a self sufficient lifestyle and rising concerns for mass produced supermarket food, there has been a recent surge in the number of home owners investing in back garden chickens. As an avid animal lover, with a weakness for a daily ration of scrambled egg, it makes sense that I have joined this growing trend and become an owner of two lovable feathery friends.

An eggs-cellent start to the day

Ever since their arrival into my home, I enjoy a pleasant wake up call of muffled clucking coming from just outside my window. Every morning I go into the garden and open the latch to the hen house and watch as two bustle-y birds barge past me to make a dash for the dewy grass, dusty flowerbeds and beyond. I make sure I put down a good assortment of healthy seeds, pellets and food scraps from last nights dinner and fill up their dish with fresh water. I then peek inside the hay filled hen coop, and to my delight their sit two fresh eggs still warm to the touch.

One of the obvious benefits of keeping chickens is the daily supply of fresh eggs that taste a hundred times better than any other shop bought brands. What’s more, I find my egg breakfast that much more satisfying knowing that my eggs are truly free range from two hens that have an excellent quality of life.

More than just an egg machine

The delights of keeping chickens goes beyond having a constant supply of hearty eggs. They are an excellent pest control. As they roam my garden constantly searching for new nibbles, they very kindly consume any unwanted pests and insects such as slugs and snails. I have noticed that chickens are not particularly fussy when it comes to food and by offering my dinner scraps, I can live happier knowing I am not being wasteful.

A word of warning though - watch out for your favourite colourful flowers – they are a favourite snack for busy chooks after a hard morning of pecking and egg laying!

Companion for life

What I have found even more marvellous about these inquisitive creatures is how sociable and surprisingly intelligent they are. This is why I believe it is important to always have more than one hen. They follow each other around all day and flap and flutter up the garden to greet you as soon as you step outside.

They are more than happy busying themselves in the garden as other pets play near by, and are quick at learning new things including how to get to things out of their reach. I love seeing how quickly they rise to new challenges – such as placing seeds in hard to reach places

Things to bear in mind

Like with any animal addition to a household, there is a small amount of maintenance work to be done. I do a proper muck out each week, supply them with daily fresh water, feed and grit (to ensure nice hard egg shells), and attend to any mess maintenance on the patio every few days. I am also constantly wary of the risk of predators – so securing your garden to stop them escaping and building a secure run with their own private hen house to lock them in at night is essential. Luckily my two hens have a good set of pipes on them and will let you me know instantly if there are any unwanted hungry visitors near by!

If you like the idea of having attentive, inquisitive and communicative pets that waddle at great speed to greet you everyday, then I would highly recommend keeping a few hens. And if you are keen on having an abundance of delicious eggs each morning then it is important to remember - a happy hen makes for healthy eggs.

Do you keep chickens? Are you interested in finding out more? Talk to us in the comments box below