A record number of people now find that keeping chickens is an incredibly rewarding experience.  

First time exhibitors at this year’s festival are Paul and Sandy McEvoy who run The Hen House Farm, near Yelverton in Devon, who not only sell chickens but are on a mission to introduce families, schools and care homes into keeping hens and raising chickens through their hire schemes.

Paul is a former teacher who gave up his full-time post at Tavistock College to run ethically driven business with his wife Sandy.

“We probably remember our grandparents keeping hens and more recently lots of people have reconnected to hen keeping. The gardening fraternity has a great affiliation with this, and we are looking forward to the festival and meeting visitors and showing them how this hobby can fit in perfectly in any garden setting,” says Paul.

Paul has had a lifelong affinity with hen keeping but says the idea for The Hen House Farm has been around for ten years but is now full on in term of raising awareness and explaining what a rewarding experience the hobby can be.

 He is now active in primary schools throughout Devon, giving talks and eventually hiring out coups and birds.