Feature | Spring gardening
downsmail.co.uk How lockdown egged us on
Keeping chickens is rewarding and gives you a ready supply of food, says poultry-keeper Simon Finlay…
The demand for eggs and, indeed, chickens during lockdown saw a dramatic rise in hen-keeping. The desire to retain a few birds for food as well
as providing a helpful diversion during long months stuck at home led to shortages of stock and coops. One Maidstone supplier of free range eggs went
from selling 20 dozen to 300 dozen per week in the first lockdown, with demand staying high. As for getting your hands on "point of lay" pullets
– well, they became as rare as hens’ teeth. Chickens are relatively easy to care for, are good company and provide you with a supply of fresh eggs. Whilst they’re not the brightest, you’ll soon realise they all have comical character traits. Here are few simple tips to get you started…
POULTRY Go for "point of lay" birds which will probably pro- duce an egg a day for about 12-18 months. Bantams are cute, sometimes pricey, but lay well in spring and early summer. However, they can go broody for weeks and months at a time. Three or four birds will be enough for any fam-
ily. Never keep a single bird as they’re social crea- tures. Consider taking on ex-free range laying stock.
THE HEN HOUSE Go for a sturdy design which is secure from preda- tors. It should include a nest box and roosting which is off the ground. Garden centres usually have a stock of well-made, reputable brands. There is no
need to spend a fortune. An old shed can easily be
converted
into a henhouse as long as it has a secure run. Let your hens into the garden or vegetable patch and they'll reward you with snaf- fling unwanted creepy-crawlies. They are, however, rather keen on anything from
the brassica family – sprouts, broccoli etc – and will take dust baths in your flower beds. Remember to lock them up at night – foxes and badgers can exact a terrible toll.
FOOD They need a supply of layers' pellets and mixed corn from suspended feeders, fresh water and access to open space. Daylight is necessary for them to lay. Feed them scraps and leftovers from the table
but doing it too regularly can turn them into terri- ble scroungers. They love carbs, cheese, fruit, fatty bacon rind and the like.
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