Chickens make an ideal backyard pet. They take little real care in terms of time spent on them but give hours of fun, and eggs too.

To get my chickens I usually rescue them from a factory farm. These chickens are so grateful to be free they immediately start laying eggs, and it satisfies me to have rescued them. When I say "rescue" I do not mean a commando raid in dead of night, these farms will usually sell or give away chickens that are no longer profitable.

If this source of chickens is not available to you then chicks, point of lay and full grown hens are usually available in the small ads, or even by postal order over the Internet. At the moment I have six chickens and they provide more than enough eggs for my family of six. Of course in some areas it is possible to sell the excess eggs, but you'll have to check local regulations, friends and neighbours will always receive any excess gratefully and there are ways of storing excess production.

When you consider keeping chickens the first thing you need to think about is a home for them. Where I live I simply penned off a corner of the garden as there are no predators, but a more secure environment may be needed in areas where there are foxes or wild dogs. There are plenty of books and web sites giving plans for chicken arks and pens or they can be bought ready made.

I was shocked to see some have wire mesh all across the bases of some models; this would stop them scratching which is a chickens main reason for being. Inside their home area they need very little really. Just make sure they have plenty of room, the more the better.

A constant supply of fresh water is essential. This can be as simple as an old washing up bowl or ice cream tub or a special water dispenser can be provided. I like the water dispensers as they keep the water clean but have used any container with low enough sides for the girls to reach when necessary.

If you want the eggs to be easy to find and clean then provide a nest box. This can be as flash or plain as you like. Most arks have one included but I have used and old lawn mower grass catcher which the chickens loved. Any small weatherproof box with a wide opening, good views and a comfy bed of straw will act as a nest box.

To encourage laying in the right place putting an egg shaped object in the box is good. It doesn't have to be exactly like an egg but I have used toy eggs from the children's kitchen set and pebbles of the right size and shape from the

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