A global pet survey has discovered that UK families are opting for a new type of pet in the UK. The report, conducted with more than 3,400 households in the UK, reveals that traditional pets such as budgies and hamsters are being replaced by chickens.

Between February 2018 and May 2019, 206,000 more homes were keeping chickens as a loving pet. There are currently around 1.08m UK home keepers with a minimum of five hens and a cockerel. This would mean that the number of chickens currently residing in homes, as opposed to farm broods, is now sitting around 5.14m. That’s over 4m more than the trusty hamster.

Ben Braithwaite from ChickenGuard who commissioned the survey comments: “We have really noticed the sudden incline in chicken keeping in the UK, especially in the last couple of years. We have been producing informative blogs and information that we share across social media and have really noticed the engagement grow month on month.”

ChickenGuard produce automatic doors for chicken coops, from its base in Cambridge, to 51 countries worldwide. The company has been a reliable source of factual and anecdotal information for chicken keepers and has championed the integration of chickens into schools, whilst leading the way in product innovation.

Ben continues: “I was gifted a flock of chickens by my mum over a decade ago. I had no idea about hen husbandry and the dangers from predators, so my girls were sadly killed by a rogue fox. I set about creating a way to make the process of chicken keeping easier for all. I am now delighted to see that more and more people in the UK, especially families, are seeing the exciting and interesting benefits of keeping these wonderful birds. Thanks to new technology, the process is easier and less intrusive than ever before.”

More information can be found at www.chickenguard.co.uk.

Picture: ©ChickenGuard 2020