| Poultry are popular. Hardly a week seems to go by | | | | reduce your carbon footprints, but also adds to a |
| without a magazine or newspaper carrying an article | | | | healthy way of life and provides an enjoyable pastime |
| about another celebrity's new-found love of keeping | | | | the whole family can get involved in. |
| poultry. | | | | The rescue of battery hens from cages, allowing them |
| Not since the heady days of the 1850s, when 'hen | | | | to live out the rest of their productive lives cage-free, is |
| fever' was at its height and people vied with each | | | | perhaps one of the fastest-growing ways that people |
| other to purchases new breeds of poultry for | | | | are being introduced to the pleasure of having eggs |
| enormous sums of money, have our feathery friends | | | | from your own hens. With their missing feathers and |
| been so in demand. | | | | trimmed beaks they look a far cry from the fancy |
| For those people who had been quietly keeping poultry | | | | show birds. Yet once they have regrown their |
| for many years, it initially came as something of a | | | | feathers and are living happily in your garden, you will |
| shock to discover more and more people deciding that | | | | discover that as well as laying eggs, they also arrive |
| they wished to add poultry keeping into their lives. | | | | fully equipped with a personality. |
| After all, prior to all this recent interest, they had been | | | | Although at first you may become involved in poultry |
| classed as the add ones out! | | | | trough keeping a few laying hens, sooner or later the |
| One of the reasons for this rise in popularity stems | | | | chances are that you will visit somewhere that has |
| from the fact that people have realized that they need | | | | other, more exotic-looking breeds of poultry and be |
| to become more curious as to how their food is | | | | tempted to enlarge your flock. Not all breeds are |
| produced. Added to this is the growing awareness of | | | | suitable for novices. If you already keep laying hens |
| the large distances most food has traveled to reach | | | | you can hardly be classed as a novice, but some |
| our plates. It is estimated that 23% of our carbon | | | | breeds may have a temperament trait that you are |
| footprint is taken up in food miles. Eating eggs, meat | | | | unaware of; or maybe their care will consume more |
| and vegetables from your garden or allotment, not only | | | | time than you can afford if you have a busy lifestyle. |
