However, for many Warrandytians, it’s not about the eggs. There are so many delightful reasons for having chickens, with eggs being a bonus.

Adjoining neighbours Adata and John share several chickens between their homes with a mobile coop made from the frame of an old barbeque, a shipping box and pallets. The result is a cleverly designed home for Scarlet, Darling, Lucy, Beautiful Girl, Belina and Bob that for the past two years has been moved from home to home on a roster basis.

If one family is away on a holiday, the other family is able to care for them.

“When you rent, it’s hard to ask a landlord for permission to build a permanent structure,” says John. “This way we can have chickens and share them with our friends.”

Emil, Marcel, Nell and Natalia all help with caring for the chickens, including collecting the eggs, putting them away at night and topping up the water, especially on hot days.

“They all have different temperaments and personalities,” says Agata. “They are curious and adventurous and a little cheeky sometimes by trying to get into the veggie garden.”

Mother of two, Natalie, from North Warrandyte has converted an old cubby into a sweet little home safe from foxes for her Rhode Island Reds – Poeey, Twinkles, Sparkles and My Chicken. Laying well means they often have more eggs than they need and either swap the eggs for other produce with friends or give them away.

Natalie and husband Ben’s aim is to upgrade the coop by designing a way for them to eat more grass which improves their Omega 6 balance.

“Having chickens is calming. You start pottering and realise you are part of the circle of life and reconnecting with the fundamentals of living,” says Natalie.

Lynda not only has chickens but a number of charismatic ducks, the boss of the roost being Barry. They all live together in the Taj Mahal of coops that has been added to and improved over the years to accommodate the chickens and ducks as well as keep out the foxes.