I reckon there's nothing better
than having chickens in your backyard.
Why wouldn't you have them?
Eggs, of course, are an obvious benefit,
but they provide so much more than that.
Think about it - there's fertiliser,
they provide free composting,
they eat your weeds
and then, on top of that, I reckon the biggest benefit
is that they're awesome companions
for children right through to our elders.
But the big question is, with so many varieties,
which is the best chicken
to have in your backyard?
What do you reckon?
So to find the solution to the chicken-selection conundrum,
I've travelled to Victoria's Mornington Peninsula
to pick the brains of chicken fancier and head chook, Fleur Baker.
How long have chickens been a part of your life?
We've always kept chickens here,
right from when I was a kid -
nearly 50-odd years.
(CHUCKLES)
Now, they're well and truly back as a backyard pet -
what do you think it is that's driving that renaissance?
It think it's a few things.
It's around people wanting to know where their food comes from,
so they like getting the fresh eggs.
But it's also around appreciating that they make a really great pet
and they're just fun to have around.
To simplify the poultry puzzle,
we bring you Fleur's sure-fire guide for:
You certainly need to think about your local climate,
so whether you're in really hot areas or colder areas.
Most chooks will cope well with cold-climate areas
because, as long as they can get out of the wind and the rain,
they'll snuggle up together at night and they'll be fine.
You have to be more careful in hot climates.
So some of the lighter-bodied and lighter-feathered breeds are good.
That could be things like leghorns or Rhode Island reds.
If you want to go for a really interesting one,
you could even look at Transylvanian naked necks.
They actually don't have feathers on their neck,
and that means that they can cool their body temperature down.
But as long as you've got shade and fresh cold water available to them,
most chooks will cope OK even in hot areas.
What if you're after lots of eggs?
There's a lot of excellent breeds for laying.
Some of them would be Australorps, leghorns, Rhode Island reds, Marans,
even big chooks like Plymouth Rocks or Sussex.
There's hundreds of breeds out there.
What about laying?
My favourite chook for a backyard situation
are the Bantam Langshans.
Great little laying chooks of a good-size egg.
Do some chooks lay coloured eggs?
Egg colour is determined by breeds,
so there's some really interesting ones out there.
Araucanas will lay a greeny-blue-coloured egg.
Leghorns lay a fairly white-coloured egg.
Just a few breeds lay just a pale-brown-coloured egg.
So you can get a bit of a mix in your egg carton.
Who lays the most spectacular egg?
I think for one of the most impressive eggs
you could look at a French Maran.
They lay a really dark-shell, chocolate-coloured egg.
Unfortunately it's not chocolate, but it looks pretty impressive.
How much space should you allow per chook?
They do need some space for free-ranging
and you need room to keep the coop.
But as long as they have a couple of square metres per chicken,
generally they're happy.
What you might like to think about
are the Bantam breeds or the small breeds,
which fit much better into our urban-size backyards,
especially as they're getting smaller and smaller.
So which chicken is best in a tight spot?
My favourite breed for small spaces
is the Pekin Bantam.
They're really cute, easy to look after,
low-maintenance, easy temperament,
lovely little chooks.
What if you're just looking for a feathered friend?
There are lots of good breeds
that you can have as a pet in the backyard.
You can look at Wyandottes, Australorps, Pekins.
Plenty of breeds to choose from,
but look for one that has a really nice easygoing temperament.
But the award for the best pet goes to...
I think for a really good little backyard pet
you could look at a frizzle.
They're really cute balls of fluff,
easygoing temperament, easy to look after
and they look like feather dusters.
OK, Fleur, who makes the best all-round top chook?
I'd go with my Bantam Langshans.
They're really good little laying chooks,
they're hardy, they don't have many health problems,
easy temperament, easy to look after
and they can cope with our backyard spaces.
Could you see yourself living in a world without chickens?
To be honest, no. I don't think I could.
I've gone for small periods of time
without chickens in my garden
and it feels empty.
It's lacking a bit of life and colour without any chickens.