Chicken keeping in the city: Londoners are making the most of small gardens, balconies and canal boat decks to get their slice of The Good Life

Londoners are falling for chickens. Hen houses are appearing on rooftops, balconies, canal boat decks and in suburban gardens, largely thanks to the Eglu Classic, a cosy home for two or more chickens, that at about £485 including a run, has become a top buy this spring.

Every hen keeper will tell you that nothing beats a fresh breakfast egg from a contented, well-fed and cared-for hen, and Sara Ward knows more about city chickens than most.

Founder of Hen Corner, at her home in Brentford, west London, she holds day courses for hundreds of aspiring London hen keepers every year and hosts talks for schoolchildren, or as part of corporate events.

CHICKENS IN THE CITY

When Sara had children — James, now 16 and Macy, 14 — she began to try to feed her family more sustainably and organically. So, for her birthday 10 years ago, her husband Andy and some of their friends bought her a chicken coop and two hens.

“It is possible to keep hens in even the smallest city garden in a coop measuring three metres by one metre,” says Sara. “This is enough space for two — as social creatures they always need a friend.” She knows Londoners who keep chickens on balconies and on canal boat roofs.

“The girls have a showing-off cluck when they are laying an egg, but other than that they’re very considerate,” she says. “So neighbours usually love them and help to look after them when the family goes away.”

Hens are easy to look after, says Sara. Give water and chicken feed each morning and they will lay an egg a day.

The food, called layer pellets, costs about £1 a month per bird and if you go away for the weekend, just double the amount you give them and they will look after themselves.

LIVING THE GOOD LIFE

The Ward family’s garden is about an eighth of an acre and has an established apple tree for making cider. Sara also has two beehives, two veg patches, a blackberry bush — and now 18 hens of various breeds.

Pure-breed hens start laying around Valentine’s Day, going through to November. Hybrid hens lay all year round. Eggshells vary in colour according to breed, from white, to blue, green or brown.

Each hen has its own personality. Sara’s oldest bird, a nine-year-old Cream Legbar named Pearl, is “private and elegant”, says Sara. “But some breeds, like the Pekins, are very sweet and happy to be stroked and cuddled. Hybrids are a bit flightier, they jump and flap a bit more.”

TO THE RESCUE

In commercial farming chickens are replaced every year, but Pearl still lays up to four eggs a week.

The British Hen Welfare Trust rehomes battery hens. “They won’t be in great condition at first but as long as they haven’t had their beaks cut off they’ll be back to full health within a few months,” says Sara.