Ralph Elsegood - Bunbury’s chicken boy (with audio)

By Cheshire Life on February 2nd 2011

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Ralph Elsegood has the business acumen, spirit and fight that most would-be entrepreneurs long for. In just three months he has built up a successful business which has attracted the attention of experts across the country.

But the startling thing is that he is a 15-year-old schoolboy and he set up a poultry breeding business to raise funds for his university education and for pocket money.

For the past three months the King’s School pupil has been running Flawless Fowls selling hybrid and pure breed chickens, particularly the Silver Laced Wyandotte Bird. He has attracted attention from people all over the country who enter their birds into agricultural competitions and a lot of people keen to start keeping their own chickens.

He and his father, Philip, also design and build handcrafted fox proof chicken runs for owners around the county made using materials from local suppliers.  

Ralph said: ‘I can’t believe how successful it’s been. I’ve always had little projects to make money. When I was nine or ten I was washing cars to get money. This is a lot of fun. I thought it would be easy but it’s turned out to be a bit more challenging. But I like that.’

The enterprising teenager came up with the idea after his family decided to start keeping chickens at their home in Bunbury, where they also keep sheep. He raised the money needed to start up, and to buy incubator equipment for chicks, by mowing people’s lawns in the village while they were on holiday. Within a few months he had taught himself the skills needed to keep and breed chickens. In the summer he has plans to start selling the eggs his hens produce, as well as holding courses to teach other people how to keep the birds. He also wants to start entering his chickens into competitions at agricultural shows.

He breeds the chickens on land at the back of his family’s house, where he lives with parents Philip and Nicola, brother Toby, 21, and 17-year-old sister, Felicity. They are kept indoors in incubator conditions until they are six weeks old and Ralph can sell them on when they reach 21 weeks. However, occasionally, some owners like to have them from one-day old so they can raise them themselves.

Ralph probably has more on his plate, too, than most of his school friends. As well as running the business, he is currently studying for his GCSE exams and trains six days a week with the King’s School rowing team. He gets up at 6.30am to tend to the chickens, does a full day at school, then rowing training and then comes home to care for the chickens again.

His success has earned him the nickname ‘‘Chicken Boy’’ at school. But Ralph is not intimidated by his workload. In fact, this is not a long term plan. He wants to study physics at university, serve in the Royal Marines and then start up another business.

He said: ‘I’m just really enjoying everything. Sunday is my only day off so I just have to make sure I get all my jobs done on that day. People don’t really mention my age; I think I look older than I actually am.

‘I’ve had a lot of help from local breeders, friends and family and the internet has been a great resource. Chickens are fun animals to keep and children in particular would enjoy having them. The best thing is to give it a try. It can be really relaxing, or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.’ 

How to get started

Talk to your friends or people nearby who have chickens. People who already own them are the best starting point as they can give you an honest opinion of what is involved.

Do your research. If you have children it would be advisable to consider which breed would be good for them. If you are thinking of showing the hens or cockerels, invest in the best looking breeds.

Consider everything. Once you have chickens there are other factors to consider like health and medical requirements, where they will be kept when you have a holiday and their year-round care.

Chickens will need a minimum of a square foot each in a hen house and no less than 20 square feet for a small group of chickens to exercise.

For more information on buying or keeping chickens visit www.countrysmallholding.com.

Bunbury Eggs

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