Backyard chickens

Ours will have the run of the garden when we are at home - I'm hoping that they will deal with the slug problem and any other creepy crawlies I don't like!

We've got so used to lovely yellow eggs from the local hens that the colour of other ones when we are away from home comes as a surprise.

I think I want some!

My DS found the chickens eating elder leaves and chopped some branches off neighbour's overhanging trees. The other day, DiL mistakenly gave them a rather manky cabbage that was really destined for the family's meal! Happy chickens!

Letting them eat grass gives good colour to egg yolks as well. Ours also eat fuchsia leaves, which have the same effect, and ferns and moss, and all sorts. I suppose it's the chlorophyll wot does it. We provide wheat, pinhead oats, kibbled sunflower seed, peanut nibs, dried mealworms and scraps. We are lucky to have plenty of space for them to range about it perfectly freely. They eat worms and insects and grubs from the garden too.

The eggs taste fabulous as well as looking good.

We are given eggs from a friend who feeds his chicken sweetcorn from Lidl; they produce the brightest yellow egg yolks I've ever seen and taste delicious.