More and more people are keeping chickens, enjoying fresh, free-range eggs from their own garden.

But, if you’re considering it for yourself, choosing a breed can be a minefield.

Which breed is the best layer, how high a fence do you need for different types of fowl, and which chickens are the most friendly?

Jack Byard was no expert when he began researching his book Know Your Chickens, but with the help of breed experts and enthusiasts, he has compiled a collection of 44 of the most famous, popular and beautiful breeds.

From the magnificent Cochin, or Shanghai, which originated in China and was – on arrival in Britain – presented to Queen Victoria, to the striking silver-spangled Hamburgh, developed in Yorkshire and Lancashire in the 1700s, and the noisy Leghorn who immediately makes his presence felt. ‘Their rich diversity of colour, size and feather pattern and their elegant, toy soldier-like strutting are a joy to behold,’ writes Jack.

The former mechanic, jewellery craftsman and school technician from Bradford gives a brief description of each chicken’s history, appearance and personality in the book, which follows others he has written in the ‘Know Your’ series, including Know Your Sheep, Know Your Cattle and Know Your Pigs.

Grandfather Jack, who lives in Haworth Road, had the idea of the book about sheep breeds after discovering that most of the children at the school where he worked thought there were only two sorts – black and white.

He began writing the books five years after retiring. Now in his 70s, he has found himself a new career which he thoroughly enjoys.