Whilst wanting to extol the many benefits of poultry keeping, the first hurdle appears to be in determining the difference between a ‘chicken’ and a ‘hen’. In search of answers, Victoria Benn catches up with champion poultry breeder Edward Boothman, to see if he can unscramble her conundrum.

Edward Boothman who owns Howden Park Farm in Silsden, has been breeding and rearing poultry since he was a young boy.

He is currently chairman of both the Craven Poultry Keepers Club, and the Poultry Club of Great Britain.

Edward can have anywhere between 2,000 and 3,000 free ranging birds on his farm at any one time. Just the man therefore, to answer my first question.

“‘Chicken’ is the common name for Gallus gallus domesticus, a type of domesticated fowl, kept in captivity for both its meat and eggs,” explains Edward. “The female is of course a hen, and the male a cockerel. So basically either term is correct.”

Good news, I’m going to call them hens then.

Indeed keeping hens is very much back in vogue after a hiatus of several decades, due in part to our increasing concern about the origin of our food, and also of course to the recession which has re-ignited a passion with back to basics self sufficiency.

High quality nutritious food on a budget? Keeping hens ticks every box.

I live in a small village, and in our village alone there are five families who keep hens for their eggs. Some keep them in their gardens, and some in fields nearby.

My neighbour Emma, who has seven hens and a cockerel, is passionate about the benefits of keeping poultry.

“Hens are the best type of pet, they are so easy to look after, and they keep you supplied with the most delicious eggs,” she explains.

Lisa, another neighbour, adds: “They are a great pet to have, especially if you have children. It’s fascinating to watch them pecking and scratching around.

“They also have different personalities, some are timid, and some inquisitive with a strong sense of adventure, and some are so tame and domesticated they will even let you hold them.”

Keeping poultry is, as Emma and Lisa advocate, incredibly easy and straightforward.

However, it is worth checking the deeds to your house, or with your landlord, to ensure that there aren’t any restrictions about it relating to where you live.

If you are planning and ‘able’ to start keeping hens, then the Craven Poultry Keepers Club is a good first point of contact.

The club have a local breeders’ directory which they can send out, and they also hold regular meetings which cover all the topics of poultry keeping, from feeding to preventing disease and infection. Membership of the club also brings discounts at local pet and equestrian suppliers.

Club chairman Edward recommends a red hybrid as a good introductory hen.

“A red hybrid is a very docile and gentle hen. It’s good choice if you have children, as it won’t run away from them, and is quite happy to be picked up. They also lay around 300 eggs a year.”

“Once you’ve got your hand in, you could move onto something more exotic such as a pure bred hen like a Cochin or a Sussex, and bring some variety to your flock. There are over 60 different breeds of poultry, so you can definitely have some fun choosing.”

Once you have an idea about how many hens you are planning to keep, the next step is to decide on the type of hen housing that will best suit your needs.

If you have an unused shed, then this can be a perfect solution for any number of hens – you just need to make sure that you add perches, so the hens can ‘roost’ at night, and also some nest boxes for laying. Also check that the shed is waterproof and draught free, and can be made secure to prevent predators entering, such as foxes.

If you are thinking of starting with just a ‘flock’ of two or three hens, you may wish to consider investing in an ‘Eglu’, which are colourful quirky little hen houses with runs attached – these are perfect for even the smallest garden. If you plan to have four or more hens then you will need some kind of a traditional purpose built hen house.

The benefits of keeping hens are huge. Free range eggs have four times more omega fatty-acids and just half the cholesterol of factory eggs – never mind the fact that they taste immeasurably better.

Hens make great recyclers too, as hen feed can be augmented with household scraps and waste, just remember not to give your hens meat or fish scraps as this can introduce salmonella, and also raw potato is a no go.

Hens also make good garden pest clearers, eating up slugs and wireworms, and hen poo is an excellent fertiliser.

Fresh eggs will store for up to five weeks in a cool dark place, but if you are lucky enough to find yourself with an egg glut, then the recipe and baking options are endless as well as exciting.

“Home grown eggs make everything taste better. If I find myself with a glut then as well as my normal baking, I make quiches and the most delicious, melt-in-the-mouth homemade pasta,” enthuses Emma.

Well that’s me sold on the idea.

In fact we already have two hens which our neighbour Laura kindly allows to live alongside her hens.

They have lived up to all our expectations, and it still feels exciting eating an egg which one of our hens has laid.

The only downside is cleaning out the hen house... my advice? Kindly ask your husband (or wife) if they’ll do it.

For more information please contact: www.cravenpoultrykeepersclub.co.uk/ Or telephone club secretary Jayne Gillam: 01943 830923.