We planned to have our own chickens from the very start of our move here but with one thing and another…….!

We know we have 2 or 3 very confident foxes that roam our fields so our main priority was making sure the run and shed were completely fox proof.  David put a lot of work into burying the netting, creating an overhang and a substantial door into the shed.

At the beginning of this month we bought a dozen chickens from the charity FreshStart4Hens, these are ex battery hens so looked almost oven ready when we picked them up.

They also had to learn about how to be free-range chickens and whilst it took them almost a week to want to go outside, getting them in now is the problem.  They absolutely love dust bathing even in the rain!  From day one they have been laying well and it is wonderful to have our own eggs again, and at last their feathers are now growing back.