It has long been thought that pets can help improve your wellbeing, and author, illustrator and hen-owner Lauren Scheuer wholeheartedly agrees. Having just written a book, Once Upon A Flock, Scheuer tells Keeley Bolger how her group of lively birds have changed her life for the better.

 

Life was pretty sunny for illustrator and writer Lauren Scheuer. A good job, lovely husband and daughter and a nice home in rural Massachusetts, USA.

But there was a lack of noise in the garden that was beginning to bother the 53-year-old.

"Nobody was playing in the yard anymore," recalls Scheuer.

"My daughter had grown up. She moved inside and started texting and computing all day. I had this lovely backyard and there was nobody out there to play with anymore."

But rather than fill her patch with ornamental gnomes and runner beans, Scheuer decided to get a flock of chickens.

"When I got them home as day-old chicks I thought to myself, 'Maybe I'll have them for a few years and then chop their heads off and make chicken soup,'" says Scheuer, who has just written a book, Once Upon A Flock, about her birds.

But she was surprised by how soon she began to see the hens as part of her family.

"From the very first moment they were home, my daughter named them - there was never any possibility of them becoming chicken stew after that."

Saved from the kitchen table, the family's relationships with the chickens soon strengthened, then became stronger yet a few months later, when one of her brood faced life-threatening adversity.

"They were about six months old when we had our first disaster," says Scheuer, who endearingly calls the flock her 'ladies' or her 'gals'.

"Lucy, our Barred Rock hen, fell ill and couldn't walk. Her face was grey, her comb was curled over. She slept all the time and had trouble breathing.

"We were told by the vet that it was probably Marek's disease, a neurological disease that wouldn't be dangerous to humans or my dog but that Lucy would probably die."

Determined to save her ailing pet, Scheuer took Lucy home and gently nursed her back to health.

"She was a lovely house guest," she smiles of Lucy, who is now five-and-a-half-years old and still lays eggs.

"She wasn't going to get into any trouble because she couldn't walk so I'd place her on the sofa and she'd watch TV with my daughter."

Scheuer says she found Lucy's presence was a calming one, and she certainly isn't alone in finding pets soothing. For example, the charity Pets As Therapy makes visits to schools, hospitals and hospices with their friendly, trained pets. The charity believes that through spending time with an amiable animal, who can offer unconditional love and companionship, people might feel less lonely and more willing to talk about their feelings.

While Scheuer herself isn't lonely, her feathered friends nevertheless changed her outlook on life.

"These ladies live so beautifully in the moment," she explains. "As long as the sun is out, no matter how they're feeling or who's picking on who, it's a beautiful day to them.

"They're a prey animal and they know how tasty they are and how many other critters would like to eat them, so living in the moment is a talent they have had to cultivate. You may lose your best friend tomorrow, so you might as well have fun today."

Another unexpected benefit Scheuer has taken from her flock is the impact on her mental wellbeing.

"I always feel happy around our hens," explains Scheuer.

"One of the best things I ever did was drag a plastic stool into the coop because it invites me to sit down and observe and enjoy my birds."

Scheuer admits the hens have kept her own family from falling fowl of each other too.

"When I'm having a rough time at home, and my daughter and I have a spat or the house is a terrible mess, I can just grab my camera or sketchbook, walk outside and say 'Hi' to the gals," she explains.

"When we first got the chickens, my daughter Sarah was 13 and horrified at my obsession. She was horrified by just about anything I said or did."

But then Scheuer started writing about her experiences on her blog, Scratch and Peck, and found there were a lot of people out there who loved chickens, wanted chickens, or loved animals enough to understand her obsession.

"Then my daughter realised, 'Wow, there are some people out there who don't think my mother is crazy.'"

Needless to say, now older and wiser, Sarah is now filled with pride about the family's flock.

"She still thinks I'm insane, and maybe I am, but she's not ashamed," says Scheuer of her now 17-year-old daughter.

"When all her friends come over, the first thing she does is go to the garden to meet the girls. We have fun together with the hens now."

Fun though the birds may be, Scheuer is fully aware their impact on her life runs much deeper than that.

"I don't think I could ever live without chickens again," she says simply.

"I can go out to the coop and have my heart warmed, or I can find that the funniest thing that's happening all day is happening in my backyard.

"There's not a day when I'm not out there. Every chance I get, even if it's five minutes or ten minutes, I'm in the coop. I always feel happy around them."


Extra time - Five tips on raising chicks

:: Work within your means. "Know how much space you have for chickens and how many chickens you want," says Scheuer.

:: Think about whether your garden is suitable for the breed of chicken you'd like. "Some breeds are more heat tolerant and some are more cold tolerant [so think about your local climate]."

:: If you're not sure you can commit to looking after chicks, think about your options. "Consider adopting hens," says Scheuer. "The British Hen Welfare Trust rescue hens who have lived in battery farm conditions. These hens are looking for a home where they can be outdoors in the sunshine and they still have plenty of eggs to share." Visit http://www.bhwt.org.uk.

:: Keep an eye on the design of the coop. "If you can, have big windows because good light and ventilation are important for chickens," says Scheuer. "Our coop also has big windows because I know the hens like to watch us as much as we like to watch them."

:: And lastly, don't be a chicken. "Look into what you'll need and read as much as you can. Then just go for it, because adventure is what life is all about and that's what your chickens will teach you."

:: Once Upon A Flock by Lauren Scheuer is published by Souvenir Press Ltd, priced £18.99. Available now.


Tried and tested

Nilima Marshall heats up her exercise regime with fat-burning 'hot pants'

What it is?

High Rise HotPants from Zaggora's activewear range claim to give an extra boost towards losing body weight during and after exercise. Using ThermoFit Technology, the hot pants, like all Zaggora products, have been designed with multi-layer fabrics that use the body's natural heat during a workout to help burn more calories. Research from Zaggora suggests with their heat-inducing garments, you will continue burning calories even after exercise and during your resting recovery period.

What's it like?

Although the skin-tight pants are made from several layers of fabric (it feels a bit like a wetsuit), I still found them quite comfortable to wear, and more importantly, they didn't restrict movement in the knees. The clothing is thick, doesn't breathe and causes the body to sweat very quickly. This did mean I was a bit uncomfortable running on the treadmill at the gym, but it was much easier exercising outdoors and running in the park. Unfortunately, after wearing them regularly for two weeks of my outdoor exercising, I didn't lose any weight, but they are an excellent alternative to regular leggings when you're running on chilly mornings!


:: Information

The High Rise HotPants™ are £70 and available on www.zaggora.com