Milnrow & Newhey May 2021

During lockdown I found
myself with more time
at home than I had ever
had before. I began to
re-evaluate my life and
to seriously consider what
was important to me.
I could never get physical and
mental well being taking top
priority and to that effect I looked
around for ways to improve them.
I didn’t have to search too far as I
found what I was looking for in my
garden. For years it had been a
‘place to keep on top of’ - keeping
the grass cut and the weeds from
the flower beds. Now it has a very
different feel to it.
It started by giving over a small
patch of land to plant some
potatoes and onions. They grew
quickly and I was delighted with
the end product. It got me thinking
about turning my garden into
a working space. It wasn’t long
before the fruit bushes were
planted, the composter was in
place, a nest of bees moved into
an old chimney pot and with the
strategic placing of feeders some
birds began to visit. I loved seeing
a bit of wildlife, it simply made me
very happy.
It was then, in the back of my mind,
that the idea of keeping chickens
began to emerge but was it a step
too far?
We knew nothing of keeping
poultry and had to embark on a
lot of on-line research. The British
Hen Welfare Trust came to our
rescue. It answered so many of our
questions on space, housing, feed,
bedding and so much more that
we hadn’t even thought about.
There were hurdles to overcome
not the least of which was an
open plan garden, this had to be
enclosed in both an attractive yet
secure way to keep the chickens in,
the foxes out and the neighbours
happy.
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