When blushing bride Sarah Thompson married her husband on July 13, 2024, there was one absolutely non-negotiable requirement.
The hens had to be involved.
Not necessarily strutting down the aisle – although, to be fair, we’d be up for that – but woven seamlessly into the day in a way that made perfect sense to anyone who knows Sarah. Because in her village near the Cheshire and Staffordshire border, Sarah is known for one thing above all else.
“I’m well known for being the crazy chicken lady,” she laughs. “Everyone rings me and asks me for advice on chickens”
So when she and her husband tied the knot, their wedding became a celebration not just of love, but of hens, hen welfare and the lovable feathered sidekicks who had become such a big part of their lives.
The couple chose British Hen Welfare Trust pin badges as wedding favours for their guests, making a donation to support the charity’s work. Sarah wore one on her bouquet. Her husband wore one on his suit.
Then came the finer details.
A local nail artist painted a chicken on Sarah’s wedding finger. When someone in the village saw the design being worked on and asked the artist why there was a chicken on it, the artist explained it was for a bride who wanted a hen on her wedding nail.
“Let me guess,” came the reply. “It’s for Sarah.”
There was also a chicken-themed sweet table, complete with chocolate eggs and “chicken drumsticks”, and perhaps the most magnificent centrepiece of all: a gingerbread chicken coop baked by a friend especially for the day.
Sarah’s love of hens began when she and her daughter started helping at a local animal sanctuary. When several poorly hens arrived, Sarah, who is animal-care qualified, began visiting every day to help nurse them. She managed to save two, and one in particular lodged firmly in her heart.
“That’s where my love for chickens started,” she says. “I never in a million years thought chickens would be my favourite animal in the world. But they’re full of character.”
Later, Sarah and her husband rehomed hens through the British Hen Welfare Trust. They also support the charity through Sponsor a Hen, after Sarah’s husband bought her a sponsorship as a birthday present.
Today, Sarah continues to take in abandoned hens locally, giving them a loving pet home. Her current flock includes Milka, Oreo, Rolo, Bueno and Silky, because (get this) all her chickens are named after chocolate bars.
Sarah’s hens are not just loved at home. They have also become occasional visitors to the local Scout group she and her husband help run, where children working towards their Animal Friend badge learn how to care for them properly.
“I’m a big believer that if children can learn from a young age how to care for an animal, they learn not to mistreat them and to respect them,” she says.
For Sarah, hens are not some fleeting novelty or a passing obsession. They are part of family life. Part of the garden. Part of the village. And, of course, part of the wedding.
“I couldn’t live without my chickens anymore,” she says. “I’ll have them all the way through my life now.”
At the British Hen Welfare Trust, we never tire of hearing stories like Sarah’s, because they show what so many of our supporters already know: hens are not “just hens”. Given the chance, they become companions, comedians, garden supervisors, therapy animals, classroom visitors and, occasionally, wedding icons.
And if you happen to be planning a hen-themed wedding of your own, well, Sarah may have just raised the bar.
Feeling inspired?
You can support the British Hen Welfare Trust by sponsoring a hen, donating, volunteering or offering a loving home to ex-commercial hens when rehoming days are available in your area.
