700,000 Britons now keep hens for eggs

Aug 01, 2011 |

IANS

London

Tags:

lifestyle

Around 700,000 people in Britain now keep hens in a bid to reduce their shopping bills by having eggs produced at home, new figures reveal.

The figures released by the British Hen Welfare Trust have helped push the value of the chicken industry to one billion pounds a year, The Sun reported.

"We're seeing a return to 50 years ago, when it was usual to keep half a dozen chickens in the back yard. Over the past few years more Brits have started growing their own fruit and vegetables - and the next step seems to be having their own eggs," Brian Mott, of birdseed suppliers Nature's Grub, was quoted as saying.

Sale of poultry pens has nearly doubled since 2008.

A store owner said keeping hens has become a hobby for many people.

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