The tradition of the poultry keeper harks back generations and still lives on today. In fact more and more people are turning their hand to garden poultry as a hobby and a sustainable source of meat and eggs. Not only are they great suppliers of food chickens also provide hours of entertainment, they are fun to watch and make good pets.

One of the world’s great pleasures is eating eggs that come from your own hens and the feeling that comes with owning livestock.

Keeping garden poultry such as hens is very easy and requires little in the way of space.

Up to five hens can be kept in a static arch or coup but much better is a safe, fenced enclosure for them to roam free with a house for them to lay eggs in and keep warm at night.

The variety of hens available to buy can be a little bewildering as each breed has different characteristics, some are best kept as meat birds, some for great layers and some are good for both.

If you are looking at keeping garden poultry for eggs then I would suggest starting with the plain brown hens that are used for battery keeping, breeds such as the Isla Brown and Warren.

There other fancier breeds out there but these little guys are full of character, great layers and can be brought for as little as 50 pence per bird or you could always start ; incubating your own. Garden poultry is an extremely rewarding pastime and a great way to save money on food and have a good deal of fun in the process.