So what are the pitfalls?
We are already fulltime with our animals, so looking after them shouldn't be a problem.
We know there will be some problems with foxes - they are already hanging around creating havoc with our rubbish bags.

But we would really like our own home fresh eggs.

What do we need to know? How many do we need to produce only a few eggs per day?

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Beautiful Bengal Kittens from Dollycats
Beautiful Savannah Kittens from Teardrops Savannahs

the main pit falls are they will attract rats, as well as mice and of course foxes, Ive just got 30 hens in the past few months and their great, I get about 5-6 dozen eggs a week from mine thinking back to when I had only 6 hens they gave me 3,4 or 5 eggs a day, what you have to decide is does the cost of keeping them justify the cost of building their home and run, making it vermin proof, and with the cost of feed is going up by the week or so it seems, you might be better off finding a local allotment holder who will sell you the free range eggs you need for your family, most allotment holders sell their eggs from £1,50 - £2 a dozen, hope this helps, dont be put off by all the expense and building work needed to house the hens though, mine give me hours of pleasure, and theres nothing better than your own fresh eggs every day, good luck, let us know how you get on, steve

Also if the bird flu thing comes out again you will need to be able to house them indoors,rats are a problem we had one the size of a rabbit in our run!but its nice to have fresh eggs you can really taste the difference.

i'd love to keep chickens for fresh eggs

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You never own a cat unless the cat owns you!

Go for it, youve nothing to loose and lots to gain, nothing better than dipping your toast soliders into a fresh eggevery morning, but beware they are addictive, I started with 3 hens last year, I now have 31 with 12 more under a broody bantie due to hatch very soon. steve

yeah id say go for it as well :P
i used to have 2 chickens and i live in a council house, so anything is possible!
i kept them in the shed lol

the only thing is they were noisy

we got 4 running loose in our garden any rats coming will get nailed by our feral tom cat.the hen house is on the path running round the side of our house and when i shut them in at night i just lift the feed hopper onto the roof of the hen house.i have 3 norfolk greys and a norfolk x light sussex i think.they peck around the garden scratch under the leylandi trees and seem fine i just put a water bowl down as well.the yolks are really yellow.

aww thts good, sounds like uv got it all sorted lmao! yeah the yolks wree dead yellow wen we had chickens, must b the free range thing :P

I think i`ll get chickens again when garden is all sorted,i miss having them.Did get a bit muddy in their run,but i found putting easibed in there helped.

my only warning is that chickens are addictive. I'm always on the look out for more.
I have 5 and get 3-4 eggs a day (my 1 chicken only lays once in a blue moon I should eat her but can't bring myself to do it, so she is my garden pest controller)
Once you've had your own fresh eggs you'll never go back to supper market eggs.
They are not great if you are garden proud, you will need to have a bit for them that you don't mind them trashing, if you don't have room for an ark that can be moved around. Mine free range a lot.
There is nothing nicer than a happy chicken scratching around the garden, and if I am feeling stressed I go and talk to them, and yes they talk back!