I Cock - A - Doodle Do!

Our feathered friends had a special role at our wedding

By Lizzie Gatherer, 34, from Aldershot

I remember the moment my life changed forever – the first time I held a chicken! My friend Sarah had rescued some hens, and I’d gone round to visit.

As one of them cuddled up to me on my lap, my heart melted.

‘I didn’t know chickens were so friendly!’ I grinned.

She explained that The British Hen Welfare Trust charity worked with farmers to rescue chickens at the end of their egg-laying lives, and find them loving homes. I was sold on the idea! Ky, my boyfriend, was an animal lover, too, and soon we were adopting hens of our own – Alice, Eve and Fhenton – who lived in a coop in the garden.

We fell totally in love with our birds. They had amazing personalities and were so easy to look after.

So much so that we continued to welcome new birds into our home. By August 2013, we had seven hens and had run out of outdoor space!