Animal boarding

Unfortunately, we are not taking any bookings for  boarding.  

Defra’s Nationwide ban on Poultry Gatherings (updated 10/02/25 & 04/11/25), stated Poultry Boarding Premises (B&B/ Hen Hotels) are not allowed to operate.

We therefore regret to say that we are not able to take any poultry bookings until the restrictions are lifted, and have therefore decided to take the opportunity to re-purpose our boarding area..

Our apologies for any inconvenience caused.  We hope to have boarding  pens available again soon.

“They come to stay while you go away!” Est.2007 we can look after your Chickens, Ducks, Quail, Rabbits and Guinea Pigs.

Why not book your animals in for a holiday of their own? and go away relaxed, safe in the knowledge that they are being well cared for, totally secure inside our barn, in one of our purpose-built holiday pens.  “CHICKEN TRIPPERS” Mantel Farm’s chicken boarding service was first established in 2007, and quickly grew to include other small animals.

We consider ourselves to have been the first to offer a chicken boarding service in the UK. Bringing your animals to board with us means leaving your well-loved family pets, or smallholding flock in capable hands.

We have a dedicated area in our barn for our animal boarding, with various sized pens to suit your requirements.  Your animals will be housed in their own adequately sized pen, which is totally secure from predators, being located within the walls of our main poultry barn.  Animal boarding bookings are charged per animal, per day, for stays longer than 20 days, or for large amounts of animals please contact us for an individual quote.  Our minimum charge per pen is £42.  Why not grab that break that you’ve needed so much, safe in the knowledge that your animals will be well cared for?

Latest situation for our Poultry Boarding Services:

Unfortunately, our Poultry Boarding facility remains closed due the APHA restrictions and we do not expect this to change for the foreseeable future:

In Feb 2025 Defra banned all gatherings of poultry nationwide and classified a ‘Hen Hotel’ as such a gathering.  Upon contacting APHA for clarification we were advised that this was the correct interpretation of the rules and that continuing with this part of our business would mean that we may be sent to prison or have to pay an unlimited fine.  We therefore had to close this part of our business.

In October 2025 the Nationwide ban was lifted and gatherings allowed under licence.  Having read the licencing requirements, it appeared a new licence would be required every time a new hen arrived for a holiday, and the associated requirements made it impossible for a boarding facility to operate.  We therefore contacted APHA for clarification but have to date not received a reply.

Since then the latest (November 2025) Nationwide Housing Ban has been introduced meaning bird gatherings (hen hotels) cannot be held in areas where you must house your birds. (Nationwide).

We are really sad that we cannot continue to offer this service to our customers, especially those that have relied on us for many years.  We will of course update our website should the situation change, and in the meantime we hope you can find someone with poultry keeping experience to look after your hens in your garden whilst you are away.