It's so easy to keep laying-hens at home. Hens are no more difficult to keep than, say, guinea pigs or rabbits. For children they are just as rewarding - for adults they are endlessly entertaining - and for the whole family they produce fresh, delicious, eggs.

These are some of the things that you need to know.

A good secure hen coop

If you have a small garden, then you can keep hens. Most garden centres or pet shops will sell hen coops or sheds, and it doesn't take an expert in DIY to build a secure run with chicken wire and posts. If you find that hen coops are too expensive - why not look for a low cost shed? A small 6ft x 4ft shed can cost as little as £95 and can take just a few hours to assemble. Once built you should add some perching. Buy some rounded posts about the same width as your wrist, and fix them at different heights in the shed for the hens to perch on at night. You will find that the higher the perch, the more popular it will be with the hens.

Room to scratch around

You will need to let your hens out in the morning - and they will need a safe area to run and scratch around in. Many homes have an enclosed chicken run - and this is ideal - but on days when you're at home in the garden, why not open the gate and let them roam. They won't run away. They will always come back to their shed at night. For the first few days in a new home you may have to shoo them in - but eventually they will find their way home at dusk, and you will find them all lined up on the perches ready for the night. You should always be sure to shut them in before it gets dark.

Food and Water

You will need to make sure that your hens have a ready access to fresh food and clean water at all times. Hens eat a wide range of foods - but it is rewarding to give them some variety. Mixed corn is good, and most agriculltural retailers will supply 'layer's mash' and 'layer's pellets'.  Both o fthese are good, although yound pullets may be less inclined to eat pellets. Often a mix of mash and mixed corn works well.

You can also feed your hens all manner of household scraps. You will be surprised what they like. Experts say that we throw away a fifth of our food. Not if we keep hens we don't. Hens will demolish that cabbage that is just past its best, those old chips, that stale bread. But don't give them food that has gone bad, and if they ignore food that you've put down, collect it up before it goes off.

If your hens roam in the garden they will find animal protein from bugs and worms in the grass and soil. Animal protein is important to them so give them plenty of variety. A sachet of dog food or cat food is a real treat for your hens, especially when they are laying.

We supply feeders and drinkers - take a look when you come to collect your hens.

Nesting Boxes

You will need a nesting box for your hens. This is where they will lay their eggs. The more hens you have, the more nesting space you will need. The nest box should have a comfortable bed of straw, and it should be in a quiet, dark, undisturbed spot in the chicken shed. Purpose-built chicken sheds will normally have built-in nesting boxes, but you can easily create one from an old orange crate for example, or from any sturdy, clean box. 

Most hens will lay their eggs in the morning - so you can collect the eggs for the day around lunchtime.