HenPower to the people
Raising hens isn’t just about free eggs – it’s about community and love, whatever your age
As we age, it seems we become more risk averse. The great outdoors – including our own gardens, can turn into no-go areas, and we can become isolated. In an effort to counteract the devastating effects of loneliness, Equal Arts in Gateshead have realised the positive health impact of shared interests in arts and crafts, music and creative writing, working outside in the garden and keeping hens. The benefits of gardening have been well trumpeted, but surprisingly, the most popular of these activities has been their HenPower project, where residents of care homes (especially the blokes) found keeping hens is fun and encourages social interaction. It was as a result of a dementia patient talking about “his girls” (that turned out to be chickens) that hen keeping was included on the project. Equal Arts’ trained advisers and artists are giving people a new lease of life, improving their health, reducing depression and the risk of dementia, and even the need for medication. Through HenPower, communities are brought closer together and hensioners (the opportunities for poultry puns are irresistible) are discovering the joys of poultry keeping. Comments like, “I never thought I’d get attached to a chicken,” and “They’ve always just been my breakfast and dinner,” have been replaced with “Keeping hens is one of the best things that could have possibly happened to me.” I know exactly what they mean – it’s great to be loved, even by a chicken. And these henthusiasts are going out into the community as poultry evangelists, spreading the word to care homes, schools and even at festivals, captivating audiences with their feathered friends at Hen Roadshows. Groups are sharing the excitement of candling eggs and hatching chicks to coos of “aren’t they lovely,” then bragging about their charges, selling their eggs and surplus birds for good money, as well as enjoying the delights of home-laid eggs. I was moved to tears listening to a trio of elderly gentlemen showing off their birds, and explaining how their lives had been changed for the better by their new hobby. For one it was the only respite from caring for a wife with dementia. Another said: “Loneliness is the worst thing you can have. It can destroy people. I know: I’ve been through it. At 87, keeping hens is the biggest thing in my life.” A common hobby is often all it takes to build a community. Both high-yield hybrids and beautiful pure breeds are involved, and many are much loved, spoiled with treats and let out of the coop to devour plants that gardeners have just Covering my burgeoning rhubarb buds with a large flowerpot to encourage tender stems and early pickings. planted. A fine Orpington cockerel is a great favourite for the primary school-aimed Hen Roadshow visits, where at 2ft tall, he must outstrip many of his fans. Most residential homes have spacious and wellmaintained grounds that are seldom used, and poultry keeping has spurred people to join in and spend time outside in the fresh air, or in their own gardens, on allotments or in communal spaces. Some have gone on to make their outside environment a jollier place to spend time, with seating areas and flower beds. Equal Arts have also encouraged hen keepers of all ages to write about their experiences on their website Henstory, and it’s fascinating to read about the transition from keeping hens for food during the war, via the smallholding good life in the Seventies, to the lifestyle hobby it has now become. Enthusiasm for poultry is what binds the generations together. As one contributor said: “Pros – eggs, Henthusiasts: clockwise from top left, a creatively disguised hen house; Alan Richards, 76, with Jocelyn the chicken; HenPower on a school visit; chicks on parade For information about the HenPower project, visit equalarts.org.uk. To experience hen-keeping in schools and homes, visit hensforhire.co.uk. For outdoor learning and farming education, visit free-range-learning.co.uk. Omlet.co.uk for information, products, courses and support. Join the henkeepers association. co.uk for free online support. For Francine’s books, courses and talks, visit kitchen-gardenhens.co.uk. entertainment and cuddles; cons – none as far as I’m concerned; and advice – Get hens. Get happy.” A love of keeping hens spans generations, and the advantages of using hens as an educational tool in schools is undeniable, but the RSPCA, while encouraging children to look after living things and learn where food comes from, strongly discourages keeping animals, especially hatching chicks in schools – they can be frightening and noisy places (though hardly more so than a commercial hatchery). Groups like Hens for Hire and Free Range Learning are Defra-approved and offer supervised workshops, farm visits and projects involving chickens that fit into school routines and curriculae. They operate in line with the RSPCA’s Five Essential Freedoms: freedom from hunger, thirst and discomfort; from pain, injury and disease; from fear and distress; and the freedom to behave naturally. So, if you want to enhance your life by keeping a few hens in your garden, go on a course, read a book or join a club.