Spurred by Channel 4's TV campaign pioneered by celebrities such as Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the UK has recently seen a boom in the number of households keeping chickens.
After many years of eating mass produced tasteless eggs and now having seen the appalling conditions of many battery farm chickens, more people have taken on chickens with the aim of eating fresh eggs.
Although we'd all like to live on rambling farms where our chickens can roam free, unfortunately very few of us have this luxury.
We therefore need to find a way of housing our chickens whilst giving them the life they deserve.
Why keep chickens? There are four main reasons why people choose to keep chickens.
The first is as a family pet.
Although the chicken is not a traditional domestic pet, there has been a recent rise in this activity, driven mainly through the plight of rescuing ex-battery farm chickens who face certain death if not re-homed.
The second reason is to show them and hopefully win prizes.
The third reason for keeping chickens is to provide your household with meat.
And finally the forth, and most common reason for keeping chickens, to produce eggs.
Depending on your reason for keeping chickens, the breed you choose will vary.
People looking for a pet will tend to choose an elegant breed like the Silkie.
Hybrid breed Bovans Nera have been 'designed' for maximum egg yield, but for laying you could also choose the Rhode Star or Sussex Light among others.
Generally show birds are premium pure breeds whilst chickens destined for the pot will be selected from one of the larger breeds such as the aptly named Cornish Roaster.
Bird Housing Bird housing is a very important aspect of keeping chickens.
A bird house provides protection from the weather, from predators such as foxes, from injury and from theft.
There are three basic types of bird house - ark, coop and Eglu.
Each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Chicken Ark - These are relatively small so take up little space in your garden.
Due to their size, they are usually also cheap to buy.
They come with a built in run area providing a place for your chickens to get both exercise and fresh air.
However there are a number of disadvantages.
Due to their small size, they are only suitable for housing one or two birds.
They are a rather inefficient use of floor space and are not the easiest form of housing for the chickens to move around in.
The Chicken Coop - Typically chicken coops come with built in runs, providing your chickens with room to run around in the fresh air.
These are generally slightly larger than the chicken arks, providing room for more chickens but are still reasonably cheap to purchase.
They also have the advantage of offering your birds a place to perch.
Their main disadvantage is that they are relatively heavy which can cause problems if you want to move the coop and run to a different location.
The Eglu ' A clever spin on 'igloo', the Eglu is a very modern form of housing which is design focused.
They are generally a lot better looking then the chicken ark and coops as they are designed with trend in mind.
The main disadvantage to the Eglu is that they are quite expensive ' you are typically paying for design above purpose.
Another drawback is that they can only house two chickens at a time.
For the purpose of this article, we're going to focus on the chicken coop and what the UK market has to offer.
First you need to consider size.
As with most garden objects, chicken coops come in an array of different sizes and shapes.
Size will primarily be determined by the number of birds you want to keep - as a general guideline, an average sized laying hen will need 1.
5 square feet of room in the coop and 8 square feet in the run.
There are a number of different styles of coop available and your choice will be determined by your individual style, the style of your house and garden, and your budget.
The first style is the 'apex' coop so named due to its triangular design.
Typically an apex coop has a space for nesting and a wired section of run.
An apex roof allows water to easily drain away from the hutch and run, keeping your birds dry.
There is also the traditional 'pent' roof design which is quite commonly used for garden chicken keeping.
It looks quite like a dog-kennel to the untrained eye, but provides a large nesting space with access ramp.
Generally pent style chicken coops are heavier then their apex counterparts due to their shape.
You are able to buy double storey chicken houses which offer a more efficient use of floor space.
This type of coop can have either a pent, apex or flat roof.
When looking to buy a chicken coop, you need to be aware of the material they are made from.
Traditionally they are made from wood so look out for heavy duty tongue and groove construction as this will provide a durable, long lasting finish.
When looking at wood finishes, look for treated wood which will provide some resistance from the weather - but ensure the coating is animal friendly.
Also check what roofing material is on the chicken coop - mineral felt will offer protection from the weather.
I encourage you to give it a go.
Chicken keeping is great fun and you have pets that can provide a source of food.
It doesn't get any better.
Copyright (c) 2010 Filton Kingswood
After many years of eating mass produced tasteless eggs and now having seen the appalling conditions of many battery farm chickens, more people have taken on chickens with the aim of eating fresh eggs.
Although we'd all like to live on rambling farms where our chickens can roam free, unfortunately very few of us have this luxury.
We therefore need to find a way of housing our chickens whilst giving them the life they deserve.
Why keep chickens? There are four main reasons why people choose to keep chickens.
The first is as a family pet.
Although the chicken is not a traditional domestic pet, there has been a recent rise in this activity, driven mainly through the plight of rescuing ex-battery farm chickens who face certain death if not re-homed.
The second reason is to show them and hopefully win prizes.
The third reason for keeping chickens is to provide your household with meat.
And finally the forth, and most common reason for keeping chickens, to produce eggs.
Depending on your reason for keeping chickens, the breed you choose will vary.
People looking for a pet will tend to choose an elegant breed like the Silkie.
Hybrid breed Bovans Nera have been 'designed' for maximum egg yield, but for laying you could also choose the Rhode Star or Sussex Light among others.
Generally show birds are premium pure breeds whilst chickens destined for the pot will be selected from one of the larger breeds such as the aptly named Cornish Roaster.
Bird Housing Bird housing is a very important aspect of keeping chickens.
A bird house provides protection from the weather, from predators such as foxes, from injury and from theft.
There are three basic types of bird house - ark, coop and Eglu.
Each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Chicken Ark - These are relatively small so take up little space in your garden.
Due to their size, they are usually also cheap to buy.
They come with a built in run area providing a place for your chickens to get both exercise and fresh air.
However there are a number of disadvantages.
Due to their small size, they are only suitable for housing one or two birds.
They are a rather inefficient use of floor space and are not the easiest form of housing for the chickens to move around in.
The Chicken Coop - Typically chicken coops come with built in runs, providing your chickens with room to run around in the fresh air.
These are generally slightly larger than the chicken arks, providing room for more chickens but are still reasonably cheap to purchase.
They also have the advantage of offering your birds a place to perch.
Their main disadvantage is that they are relatively heavy which can cause problems if you want to move the coop and run to a different location.
The Eglu ' A clever spin on 'igloo', the Eglu is a very modern form of housing which is design focused.
They are generally a lot better looking then the chicken ark and coops as they are designed with trend in mind.
The main disadvantage to the Eglu is that they are quite expensive ' you are typically paying for design above purpose.
Another drawback is that they can only house two chickens at a time.
For the purpose of this article, we're going to focus on the chicken coop and what the UK market has to offer.
First you need to consider size.
As with most garden objects, chicken coops come in an array of different sizes and shapes.
Size will primarily be determined by the number of birds you want to keep - as a general guideline, an average sized laying hen will need 1.
5 square feet of room in the coop and 8 square feet in the run.
There are a number of different styles of coop available and your choice will be determined by your individual style, the style of your house and garden, and your budget.
The first style is the 'apex' coop so named due to its triangular design.
Typically an apex coop has a space for nesting and a wired section of run.
An apex roof allows water to easily drain away from the hutch and run, keeping your birds dry.
There is also the traditional 'pent' roof design which is quite commonly used for garden chicken keeping.
It looks quite like a dog-kennel to the untrained eye, but provides a large nesting space with access ramp.
Generally pent style chicken coops are heavier then their apex counterparts due to their shape.
You are able to buy double storey chicken houses which offer a more efficient use of floor space.
This type of coop can have either a pent, apex or flat roof.
When looking to buy a chicken coop, you need to be aware of the material they are made from.
Traditionally they are made from wood so look out for heavy duty tongue and groove construction as this will provide a durable, long lasting finish.
When looking at wood finishes, look for treated wood which will provide some resistance from the weather - but ensure the coating is animal friendly.
Also check what roofing material is on the chicken coop - mineral felt will offer protection from the weather.
I encourage you to give it a go.
Chicken keeping is great fun and you have pets that can provide a source of food.
It doesn't get any better.
Copyright (c) 2010 Filton Kingswood
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