Hens on Oxney

01/08/2026

Can six hens actually pay for themselves?

It’s one of the questions I’ve been asked more than any other over the years.

If you’re hoping to become rich from six hens, the answer is probably no.

But could they cover their own feed bills? Under the right circumstances, yes.

After more than 20 years of keeping and breeding chickens, and completing an MSc in Applied Poultry Science, I finally decided to put everything I’d learned into one practical guide.

As a thank you to everyone who follows Hens on Oxney, I’ve reduced the Ebook & Business Calculator Bundle to just £9.99 until Sunday evening. At that price, the Chicken Keeping Business Calculator is effectively included at no extra cost.

You can find it here:

https://payhip.com/b/TsjUv

I’d love to know… how many hens do you keep, and have yours ever covered their own costs?

14/07/2026

I NEED YOUR HELP FOR A NEW PROJECT! 🐔

I’m creating a puzzle book set on a fictional chicken farm - and I want the hens in it to be real hens.

So tell me, what are your chickens called, and what breed? Every name I can fit is going into the book.

Pure breeds are especially handy (the puzzles use real breed facts - egg colour, comb, feathered legs and etc) but hybrids and ex-batts are very welcome too, I’ll happily pair the name with a breed.

Drop your names below👇 Living or departed, I’ll be reading them all!

09/07/2026

After 20 years of breeding rare breed chickens and an MSc in Poultry Science I’ve learnt a few things! If you want to make money from breeding, choose your breeds wisely. Rare breeds are obviously worth more due to their scarcity. Autosexing breeds - you can reliably sell females as day olds. If you would like to read more about what I’ve learned, my ebook is available along with a business calculator and a FREE download. You can find them in my shop here https://payhip.com/hensonoxney

08/07/2026

Has anyone noticed thin or soft-shelled eggs during the recent heatwaves?

It’s an early sign of heat stress, and often people miss it. A chicken can’t sweat, so pants to cool down. Hard panting flushes carbon dioxide from the blood and makes it more alkaline (respiratory alkalosis) which, along with a drop in feed intake, pulls calcium away from shell formation. The result shows in the nest box days before a bird looks unwell.

The best thing you can do in a heatwave is provide cold water, refreshed often. Regular ingestion of cold water (not ambient temperature) measurably improves shell strength.

21/06/2026

Do you know what your eggs actually cost? Whether you sell your eggs or not, it’s an interesting exercise.

Feed, Bedding, Vet bills, Set up costs, Electricity, Your time.

Most chicken keepers never add it up. I hadn’t until I built an interactive Business Calculator to do it for me.

Available on its own or with my ebook. Do the maths and I bet you’ll be surprised!

https://payhip.com/b/c2jFI

28/05/2026

Fatty liver haemorrhagic syndrome in chickens is a little known syndrome that most often occurs in the warm summer months and manifests itself as sudden death of birds in good condition. As it’s associated with high energy diets and restricted exercise it’s even more relevant when people are keeping their birds in runs rather than free ranging. Simply put, the cause is a surfeit of energy intake and restricted exercise so keep an eye on those treats and definitely lay off the corn. Hens really benefit both physically and mentally from free ranging, even if it’s only safe to do so when you’re around. An hour or so in the evening when it’s a little cooler and you’re sitting in the garden will make a big difference to a hen’s wellbeing and the exercise will be beneficial. And let’s face it, who doesn’t love watching their hens in the garden? 🥰

14/05/2026

Thank you to everyone who has already bought my ebook How to Make Money From Chicken Keeping!
The companion Business Calculator is now complete - an 8-sheet complete business toolkit — covering egg and breeding profit calculators, a weekly production log, legal medication records, feed cost tracker, seasonal planner, and biosecurity checklist, all automatically updating a single Business Dashboard. Whether you’re selling eggs at the gate or running a full breeding programme, every number you need to run like a business is built in.

This companion spreadsheet does the numbers for you. Enter your flock size, feed costs, and selling prices and it instantly calculates your profit, break-even point, and cost per dozen across both egg and breeding enterprises. It also includes a week...

12/05/2026

It’s here! My new ebook, How to Make Money From Chicken Keeping! Twenty years of experience - all written down!
Get it now at £9.99 before the price increases…….

Twenty years of experience, a Master's Degree in Applied Poultry Science and a breeding programme that grew from six brown hens into a rare breed enterprise - all crafted into a practical and honest guide. Whether you want to cover feed costs with a ...

09/05/2026

Blossom and Daisy are thrilled that they’ve been voted as the models for the cover of my new ebook - How to Make Money From Chicken Keeping! It’s out next week 🤩
Did you vote for them?
Follow, like and share the Blossom and Daisy love 💖

08/05/2026

I decided to write down everything that I’ve learnt in the last 20 years keeping chickens and running Hens on Oxney. My ebook is coming out next week. If you’re looking to take your chicken keeping to the next level or monetise your hobby, don’t miss out! It’s available at just £9.99 for the first 48hrs!🐔