The Garden

We have a small garden, overshadowed by trees from the neighbours. So it would never be a winning candidate for the Chelsea Flower Show. We have been toying with the idea of keeping chickens for a year or so but done nothing about it. The family had discussed the idea on several occasions but the conversation usually revolved around what we could do with all those eggs that would surely be laid every day.

The June sun was shining, I had a few days off work (half-term) and with great enthusiasm we decided to take the plunge. But where to put the coop?

There had always been a patch of the back garden that had been neglected, overgrown with Ivy and Wild Rose Bushes and this would be the ideal place to put a small coop. That day, with help from my son Alfie, we dug up the old apple tree stump and the rose bush roots. Well it actually took a few days with blisters and aching muscles, mainly my muscles and Alfie's blisters.

Once the vegetation was removed we had to level the ground ready for the paving slabs. We had ordered 12 450x450mm Cotswold slabs from a local Garden Centre, which would be delivered on Monday. So we had the weekend to get the garden ready.

Meanwhile there was great activity in the family. What chickens would we get? How many? How big would they be? What type of Coop to purchase? etc. Many questions but not a lot of answers. First things first, the garden!