Keeping Chickens For Eggs

Keeping Chickens - Starting Out At Home

Want a pet that actually 'gives back' in eggs, manure for your compost bin, and affection?

Man has been domesticating chickens since the dawn of time. And with a hens population of more than 24 billion in 2003, (as recorded in some sources) there are now more hens in the world than any other bird.

People have historically been chicken keepers primarily as a source of food, with both their meat and their eggs being eaten.

There has been a surge of interest in keeping chickens, caused by celebrity cooks bringing to attention the awful conditions of battery reared hens, increased cost at the shops and the reported credit crunch.

The thought of keeping chucks in your garden and the thought of having home eggs from your own poultry, doesn't single you out or causes as many 'home farm' type comments as it used to, of becoming a 21st century 'Tom & Barbara Good' - from the 1970 sitcom The Good Life television series!

In fact there's something 'chic' in these days of consumer excess in coming back to a more 'self sufficient' lifestyle.

Many people are growing their own veg - either in their back yards or on allotments. Many people are getting worried about what the food they eat actually contains and the buy organic movement seems to be gaining ground every year - forcing supermarkets to provide a more wider range of organic produce.

Keeping chickens seems to be just a normal progression on this cultural shift.

People seem to be more used to knowing friends and neighbours who keep poultry.

And the chance of a 'fresh free range egg as part of the bargain, you'll probably get unlimited offerstake over your chicken keeping duties should you ever have to go need a long weekend break.

Plus once you've seen the difference in yolk and eaten on the completely different texture of the white, of one of your own back garden hens' eggs you'll never buy shop egg again.

While cooking, your eggs you'll raise your eyebrows at the difference too.

Your own chicken eggs stay together better than eggs bought in a supermarket as they're certain to be fresh.

There's also the plus point that keeping chickens bring a whole new element to your back yard - movement, sound and colour. Forget adding a water feature, chicken keeping brings so much more!

Each hen is an individual and many can be real 'characters' and, if handled whilst they're young, they can be interesting pets for kids.

Chicken keeping does require some 'work', and there will be some household maintainence tasks for your chicken house and obviously, letting the chickens in and out of their chicken run at first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

There's also the 'chore' of checking for eggs. This should be done several times per day - just in case your chickens are afternoon 'layers'.

Another thing you need to watch out for when keeping chickens; is 'chicken watching'...

Many hours can be happily wasted watching your chickens scratch around the back yard. If you're the sort of person who stares at hypnotising fires, you'll find chicken watching is addictive!

Keeping chickens is a financially scaleable hobby. If money is no object, then there's many fancy looking ready made chicken houses that can be bought from numerous chicken keeping shops.

If money is tight, then a home made hen coop can be built for virtually nothing, using scraps of wood found laying around your house.

A chicken shack just needs to be big enough for the chucks to nest in at night, and big enough to stretch their wings in during the day.

Also a place for them to dust bath during the day time should be provided.

So no matter whether you're looking to build a chicken house, or buy a ready made chicken run or are just interested in keeping chickens as a hobby; a world of chicken keeping discovery awaits.