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them to eat each other and citrus plays awful tricks on their insides. Weeds, lawn clippings, bugs, shell grit, food scraps from the kitchen, cereals, pasta (hold the Bolognese sauce) I could write a new novel on what they eat. Of course, provide them with plenty of natural grains and organic layer pellets in a feeder and plenty of water in a waterer. Fresh, clean water is very important. Both the feeder and the waterer need to be suspended in the air, about one foot off the ground. The Girls can be very clumsy and knock over the feeder and waterer. A side note on layer pellets some brands can be filled with salt, so be careful what you purchase for your Girls. Also, mix up the grains and pellets in the feeder, variety will spice up their life and keep them healthy.

To Egg Shell Or Not To Egg Shell good question. I discourage this as it encourages the Girls to eat the eggs they lay. If you want to feed them egg shells, my friend who is a trained Wildlife Officer (or Park Ranger, depending on where you live) has advised me to wash the egg shells first, then bake at 350 Fahrenheit for about 20 30 minutes, until they are brittle and brown. When cooled, crush them and feed them to the Girls mixed in with food scraps from the kitchen. Feeding them shell grit is the best way to provide their daily calcium needs and a small handful every other day is enough. Too much for them won't harm them, but it is wasted as their body will only absorb what it needs and dispels the rest.

Now that you have a secure home, a perch for the Girls to roost on, complete with runway, a couple of laying boxes with straw and a suspended feeder and waterer let the Girls move in.

Here is a little shopping list for you, before the Girls move in A bail of straw, a bag of organic layer pellets, a bag of natural grains for chickens, a waterer, a feeder, some chain to hang the feeder and waterer from the ceiling, an empty ice-cream container (to put all kitchen scarps in) a large metal and lockable rubbish bin (trash can) to store your chicken food. Mice and rats just love the free feed you will leave out for them if the chicken feed is not put away.

Age and Beauty isn't everything, but it helps. All these Girls are beautiful don't underestimate the Girls, yet how old is too old, I hear you ask. Collect the Girls from a registered chicken breeder. Here they should've been wormed prior to pick up, ask this question to the registered chicken breeder. When the girls are between sixteen and eighteen

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