They need somewhere dry to sleep and and nest boxes mean you know where they have laid their eggs, as most chickens will lay anywhere if left to their own devices. Movable chicken arks and simple hen houses are straightforward to build from plans. Chickens will eat grubs and worms, clear tiny insects and bugs and will eat grass and weeds too, if you leave them to roam. You’ll get lovely deep yellow yolks from chickens that feed naturally too.

For laying hens you will need layers pellets, and possibly some extra grit so the egg shells form properly. They also like a little corn as a treat. You can feed them on kitchen scraps too.

Like many birds, chickens enjoy taking a dust bath, where they wriggle around in dry soil till there is a cloud of dust and they can fluff up and clean their feathers. If it’s sunny, you’ll often find them lying on their sides with wings outstretched to catch the warmth.

If you have three birds, two may pick on the third as they establish a pecking order, so four is often a better number.

Housing chickens is quite straightforward. A large rabbit hutch will take one or two, but it should be raised off the ground to keep it dry – they can manage a small ladder . You can make chicken arks (the triangular section chicken coops that you move around) very easily. This clear book with three sets of chicken coop plans also has comprehensive information on keeping chickens. Plans for a tall, rectangular hen house and run are also included, plus plans for a large chicken house with eaves and an attached run, externally accessed nesting boxes.

Chickens will lay until they are aged four or five, but can live to a ripe old age of 15. They are surprisingly intelligent so you can train them to come to you – and they will recognize a routine; for example they will be waiting by the chicken coop in the evening to be tucked up for the night.

If chickens are allowed to roam, they will decide what they eat, which may be some of your flowers and vegetables. Keeping them in a run for some of the day can be a good answer. The chicken ark is a triangular shaped chicken coop (sometimes known as a chicken tractor), which you move around, giving the hens fresh ground.

Chickens need daylight to produce eggs, so you will need to make sure they are let out into their run early in the morning.

Mary Marshall