A Coventry animal lover is so impressed with her pet chickens she holds special parties to encourage others to get their own.

Anne-Marie Ortu first bought chickens last year and had a hen house specially constructed for them in her back garden.

Ms Ortu reports that despite not living in a rural area the pets have adapted to their new surroundings leading her to encourage others to keep hens.

In addition to having lots of personality the chickens can also help out with gardening tasks.

"When they first came we immediately saw they were proper little characters. They follow you around the garden and as soon as you go to the back door they come running up to you," she told the Coventry Telegraph.

"They're great for the garden too because they scratch around in the beds which means weeds can't get established and they eat the slugs, snails and insects."

Figures from the Times show that up to 500,000 households currently have pet chickens.