By Isobel WilliamsThe owner of a five-star hotel for chickens says she fears for the future of her business after three months of a bird flu "flockdown." Katriona Shovlin, 33, who runs the luxury bird boarding business Hen Weekend in Upchurch, Kent, had to shut down in October after news of a bird flu outbreak nearby. However, on October 28 she got a shocking call from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announcing a lockdown as there was a confirmed bird flu case nearby. Kat said: “I was worried because I was getting text updates and the cases seemed to keep getting closer to home. “We got a phone call to say that bird flu restrictions have been announced in my area, and I had been put into a 3km control zone.

Source: Daily Sun February 13, 2026 18:26 UTC