I read an article the other day that said that chickens could be laying eggs in gardens throughout the UK. Since all the media hype about battery farming, more and more city residents are keen to raise their own hens in their own chicken coops in their own gardens.

Providing fresh eggs for your family straight from the hen house is a good and healthy hobby and the chickens would also provide a source of fertilizer for your garden. Not only this, but what a great activity for your children to be involved in !!

Our country neighbours have been brought up with the sound of chickens clucking and roosters cock-a-doodle-doo-ing and having a boiled egg for breakfast straight from the nest. This latter idea appeals to most people and more and more of us are taking the plunge and deciding to have a go at chicken rearing.

What makes it so appealing is the amount of chicken coops on the market that are ideal for the small back garden - a coop and run in one - neat and tidy and practical too. They are manufactured to suit all pockets and you can find one to suit your needs whether you decide to keep 2 hens or 50 !!

So why not do your bit. If you have an allotment, a piece of the garden that is “going spare” and you want a practical hobby that you and you children can all get involved in together, invest in a chicken coop and give a life to some poor ex-battery hens whilst reaping the benefits of fresh eggs for breakfast.