A new type of hen hotel has sprung up in the U.K.: Not those designed to cater to the bride-to-be and her entourage, but lodgings for our feathered friends.
I knew about catteries and kennels, but when I came across a new breed of hen hotel, as offered by the U.K.’s Newland Poultry and highlighted by Worcester News, I was somewhat taken aback. A quick trawl of the Internet, however, revealed that Worcestershire-based Newland is not alone. In the county of Hampshire, there is a business with the trading name of The Hen Hotel, and there are doubtless more.
The rise of the hen hotel in the U.K. has been in response to people keeping hens as pets. Newland Poultry opened its establishment six years ago, branching out from selling chickens, feed and other requisites for those who keep chickens at home.
Having identified a gap in the market, owner Sarah Sabin made an investment in easy-to-clean portable hen houses, and the business grew from there.
A 'Run with a View'
Worcester News reports that the portable houses offer “uninterrupted views” of the surrounding countryside and that there is fresh water on tap. As far at the hotel’s menu is concerned, there is the standard menu, or guests’ owners can bring their own feed if visitors have particular dietary needs.
Newland can accommodate a maximum of 154 chickens at any time, but tends to get booked up during the summer months. Guests tend to stay from just a few nights up to stints of eight weeks, and Newland can boast its fair share of returning visitors.
Creature comforts
But the company is not alone. In Hampshire, The Hen Hotel offers treats, worming and vitamins if required. Perches and nesting boxes come as standard, apple cider vinegar is added to drinking water, and there is also the option of “cuddles.”
As far as rates are concerned, three birds can stay for GBP5 (US$7.65) per night.