After a stressful day, my chickens quite literally help me to leave my worries behind as I watch them going about their business looking for tasty morsels around the garden. Seeing flashes of colour in between the undergrowth as a cockerel leads his harem of hens on their bug finding mission is a small pleasure that I would never want to miss.

The quest for perfect poultry is a road littered with hurdles. Add to that an urban location and you will encounter numerous barriers both socially and logistically even before you collect your birds. As a London based poultry fanatic, I am testimony to the challenges involved with keeping backyard chickens. In an attempt to disseminate the sea of information and advice available, I have put together my top ten tips for keeping chickens in a city garden.