Has chickens flocking
Family board hens if owners are flying off on holiday
Guest houses throughout the Stirling area are likely to be experiencing some of their busiest months of the year, with tourists flocking to the area.
But there’s flocking of a different kind going on at a hotel near Killearn – as it caters for hens rather than humans.
Mum-of-two Angela McCooey reckons she’s come up with a solution to the age old dilemma of what exactly you are supposed to do with your chickens when you go on holiday.
Hilltops Hen Hotel was officially launched last week and is set to welcome its first batch of guests today (Friday) – with six chicks scheduled to check-in this morning.
Angela (42), who has four pet birds of her own, told the Observer: “We’ve had chicks for a while, and quite a few of our friends have too. If you want to go on holiday a lot it might be difficult to keep them as pets.
“It’s quite a big commitment for a neighbour to come round and see to them at 7am in the morning and then again at 10.30pm – while also checking they are OK during the day.
“As they are pets they will also require attention. They will be used to people talking to them, picking them up and cuddling them.
“This type of thing obviously exists with people looking after cats and dogs when their owners are away, so why not chickens too as people do keep them as pets.
“There are quite a few of these down in England but not really anything else like it in Scotland so we’re really excited about getting going.”
The chicken boarding service, which is located on Boquhan, features two Omlet coops – one of which is a cube house with capacity for 10 birds and the other is a classic which can house four.
Angela explained that they can take up to 14 chickens at one time, but only from two groups as they cannot mix families in the same coop.
But she says any hens stopping by for a change of scenery will be lavished with attention.
She said: “They will all get a health check when they arrive and then they will be treated with some red mite powder.
“They will be fed layers pellets, but owners can bring their own bedding and feed it they would prefer. And as they are pets they will get plenty of attention throughout the day.”
Angela used to work as a primary school teacher before starting up her business Lochside Living Interiors, which sells gifts and products for the home.
And she says her two children Cameron (10) and Millie (6) are looking forward to welcoming some new friends to stay through her latest business venture.
She added: “They are excited about it. Our own pet chickens will be kept away in a separate area but they are happy we’re going to get more visiting. We have around an acre of garden there so there’s a lot of room for it.
“We took out first booking this week which we are really happy with, especially as we only launched last week.”
Hilltops Hen Hotel charge guests per coop, rather than per bird. Houses for up to four chickens are £8 per night, the cube for five to seven chickens is £10 per night and the cube for eight to ten chickens is £12 each night.