Brits go crazy for chicken-keeping
Times are tough for cash-strapped Britons but tight finances have led to a big chicken-keeping revival.
Top related searches:
According to the British Hen Welfare Trust, around 700,000 Brits now keep hens - a rise in numbers of 80 per cent in the last three years.
Householders already trying their hand at growing their own fruit and veg are now branching out and enjoying a ready supply of fresh eggs in the morning.
The chicken-keeping boom has caused sales of coops to soar.
Leading supplier Navigation Distribution reports that sale have more than doubled over the last three years and even supermarkets have spotted the trend.
Many big-name supermarkets now stock their own ranges and Tesco's coop sales have risen by 180 per cent over the three-year period.
Brian Mott, director of pet food supplier Nature's Grub, told the Daily Mail: "It would appear that we are seeing a return to 50 years ago when it was quite usual to keep half-a-dozen chickens in the backyard.
"Over the past few years, more and more Britons have started growing their own fruit and vegetables and the next step in the consumer return to 'the good life' seems to be having their own eggs."
Are you enjoying the benefits of keeping chickens? Let us know below...