Keeping chickens on your land is surprisingly straightforward, and provided you have less than 50 chickens there is no need to register them with any authority.

More than 50 chickens are considered to be a commercial venture however, and must be registered on the GB Poultry Register – an initiative set up by DEFRA in 2005.

There no nationwide restrictions to prevent you from keeping poultry, but some individual properties do have covenants which provide an obstacle. You’ll need to check the deeds of your property to find out if this applies to you.

Consult with your local council too, as they could have passed a by-law preventing anyone in your area from keeping livestock at their property.

You can reasonably expect your hens to lay anywhere between 200 and 250 eggs per year, though be aware that the rate of laying dips slightly during Winter.

Keeping chickens means you’ll never be out of eggs – and with control over the chickens’ diet, you can help ensure quality as well as quantity.

• If you have near neighbours, it may be wise to avoid cockerels altogether - their ‘crow’ can be loud and disruptive. Defining the sex of juvenile birds can be difficult, but some hatcheries will offer a ‘no-cockerel guarantee’ when you make your purchase.
• Chickens will happily roam out in the cold - but they don’t like rain. Make sure they have considerable shelter, and cover their run with wood chippings to stop the ground getting too muddy.
• Make good use of the chicken manure, by composting. Full of nitrogen, it is too strong to be used directly on plants and flowers, but composted it makes an excellent fertiliser.