There is nothing better than keeping a few chickens aside of their lovely fresh eggs they really are quite entertaining. All children should have the opportunity to love and care for animals and not just those wanting a career in veterinary!

However, ensure you have plenty of space for them to roam free and preferably well away from your beloved plants as they will ruin anything and everything. What used to amaze me was the force they could summon up to dig for worms. I was constantly replacing all my garden soil and pebbles. In no time at all we didn’t have a lawn we just had mud!

Joking aside it was a great experience. My daughter and I hand-reared ours when they were just a few days old. The local vet said  ‘Daisy was the best behaved chicken she had encountered’. Right from the start she was well-loved and regularly handled by my daughter who used to sit with said chicken on her lap.

My own chicken Dolly used to sing very loudly and it sounded like the tune from Star Wars – my only regret being I never recorded her as nobody believes me! Or was that the Spring (old bird) madness??