Mother hen chooses brewery as new home

Brewery staff have made a home for a hen and her chicks after the new family chose the distillery as a place to settle.

The hen, who staff have called Josephine, arrived at Alnwick Brewery, in Northumberland, in May this year and staff immediately took a liking to her.

Staff consulted local farmers for advice on how to look after the hen, with one employee even driving to Scotland to pick up a wooden house for her.

Manager Phillipa Jasinek said everyone was "delighted" in July when Josephine returned following a disappearance with a brood of chicks.

She said Josephine has become a "brewery celebrity" and the team really hope she would stay on with her family.

"Our little squatting hen had gone off, become a mum and returned with a brood of tiny followers in tow," said Jasinek.

"She's certainly made herself part of the brewery family, and we'd miss her if she suddenly decided to move on."

Jasinek said they are even considering naming a limited edition beer after the hen, adding they are still working on names for the rest of the flock.

"It's one of the things we love about being at Alnwick Brewery," she said.

"We're right in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by brilliant local people, farms and wildlife, and you never quite know what - or who - is going to turn up."

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