DOGS go in kennels and cats go to a cattery, but where do chickens go when their owners want a holiday?

One woman in Stirlingshire has come up with the answer - by opening Scotland's first hotel for hens and other poultry.

Angela McCooey's Hilltop Hen Hotel has been set up to cater for the growing trend among suburban families to have keep chickens as pets in their gardens, offering accommodation for up to 14 birds.

The former primary school teacher came up with the idea after moving to the Stirlingshire countryside, and so far business is booming with both her coops booked solid for weeks.

Mrs McCooey said: "We have had chickens for quite a while, and I was talking to a friend who has a dog walking business and I began to think about what do people do when they want to go away for a break?

"Hen hotels are quite popular in he south of England, but I have not heard of one up here and the council were quite surprised when I got in touch asking if I needed permits.

"The hens are no trouble and my neighbours have all been lovely about it. There's a lot of farmers around me so they have all been understanding."

The hen hotel operates over two coops, cunningly set up to outfox predatory foxes and give the chickens plenty of room to roam around.

As well a full house of chickens, she's also counted a small flock of ducks among her guests and was able to adapt their living quarters with their own paddling pool.

One of the main problems when keeping chickens is maintaining the pecking order, and the hotels policy is to ensure that families of birds are kept together and that there is no mixing among the guests.

And as cockerels crow in the morning, there is no chance of a dawn chorus wrecking the peace and quiet of the village of Boquhan, where the hotel is based at the bottom of the McCooey's garden.

Careful not to put her eggs in one basket, the business is one of two Mrs McCooey has started since giving up her 15-year teaching career and also runs Lochside Living Interiors, an online shop.

The businesswoman said: "I really love chickens and have always been desperate to keep a few. We have moved to our 'forever' home here so it was one of the first things I thought to do.

"I thought there might be a bit of interest, but within the first week I had a booking for a fortnight and it's just gone on from there.

"People really love keeping chickens as pets, and they all have their own personality. And they make very easy to look after guests."