Rare bird sales soar after TV drive

A Shropshire farm that sells rare breed chickens is experiencing a boom in sales thanks to TV stars like Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver.

The Channel 4 chefs have popularised organic and rare breed chickens by encouraging consumers to switch from battery-reared birds.

That has led to a boom in business for the Wernlas Collection, which is based at Onibury, near Craven Arms. People are buying them not just to eat but also to keep in their gardens as pets or to lay eggs.

The farm sells a wide variety of rare breed chickens including heavy breeds, light breeds and bantams.

A spokesman for the centre, run by Sue and Shaun Hammon, said: "Keeping chickens is a relaxing, therapeutic, fashionable and fun thing to do.

"We have breeds to suit all sizes of garden - a wonderful variety of beautiful colours and patterns to choose from, all with their own individual characters.

"They are truly productive pets that will become remarkably tame, also adding companionship in your garden."

The collection is not the only outlet in south Shropshire that has enjoyed a boom in popularity.

Ludlow chef Henry Mackley has enjoyed high sales of his organic chicken pies, after challenging people to taste the difference.

Today Mr Mackley said people were increasingly aware of the provenance of food.

Mr Mackley, whose company Smith and Monger (Traiteur) makes dishes using organic and wild meats, said: "People are increasingly interested in where there food has come from."

Mr Mackley's mother, food expert Lesley Mackley, a former BBC Masterchef winner, added: "The debate regarding food has advanced. Consumers are now much more interested in where there food comes from.

"They are increasingly concerned about meat and poultry, how it is produced and how it is kept. Of course, people are also interested in the price of their food."

Mrs Mackley said it was no surprise that more and more people wanted to keep chickens or buy organic meat rather than battery-produced birds.

Hatching facts on poultry:

• Every year more than 15,000 rare and traditional chicks are hatched at the Wernlas Collection with stock of all ages being delivered the length and breadth of the UK.

• Hatching eggs go to various destinations between the Shetland and Falkland Islands.

• Breeds at the Wernlas Collection are divided into three main types: heavy, light and bantams.

• Eggs can be dark brown, tinted brown, white, cream, bluey green or sky blue.

• A chicken's heart beats 280-315 times a minute.

• The body temperature of the animal normally runs at 102-103F.

• It takes a hen 24 to 26 hours to lay an egg.

• A chicken takes 21 days to hatch.

• Chickens were domesticated about 8,000 years ago.

• It takes more than 4lbs of feed to make one dozen eggs.

• A hen lives an average of five to seven years, but can live up to 20 years.

By Andy Richardson