When her hens wandered toward the road, Scottish bed-and-breakfast owner Louise Lennox found an unusual way to make them easier to spot: small, high-visibility jackets.
The story dates to August 2017, when Lennox spoke about the birds at Glenshieling House in Blairgowrie, Perthshire. What looked like a poultry fashion statement had a practical purpose.
A little visibility for the wanderers
Most of the hens stayed in the garden, Lennox explained in an interview with STV News. A few, however, ventured down the path and sometimes crossed the road.
She put vests on the wandering birds, hoping approaching drivers would notice them and slow down. The garments also identified the bed and breakfast, giving neighbors a clue about where an escaped chicken belonged.
It was a precaution, rather than evidence that the birds could cross safely. The reporting did not measure whether the jackets reduced accidents.
From breakfast eggs to familiar faces
In a separate Inside Edition interview published that month, Lennox described one especially adventurous hen heading onto the driveway and road. She bought chicken-specific reflective vests online.
She said the garments allowed the birds to move their wings freely. Often, calling the wandering hen was enough to bring her running back.
Lennox and her husband, Richard, had taken over the business seeking a different pace of life. Their chicken coop began as a way to supply guests with fresh breakfast eggs.
The hens soon offered something else: company. According to Lennox, they approached visitors, gathered around their feet and tapped on the glass.
She also put her address and phone number inside the vests.
The appeal of the story lies in that attention to detail. Birds brought home for their eggs had become animals whose individual habits their owner knew, including which ones needed a little extra watching.