The business brains behind a hen hotel has taken her idea into the Dragons’ Den.

Katriona Shovlin pitched her all-inclusive hen hotel franchise scheme to the Dragons in the hit TV series and is getting ready to watch herself on national TV with some of her “more well-behaved” chickens.

The Hen Weekend boss offers the poultry who come to board with her all-you-can-eat food, classical music on repeat, soft bedding, and an afternoon treat of corn in the garden of her Upchurch home, between Medway and Sittingbourne.

The 32-year-old’s service has become so popular that she is fully booked until 2026 despite increasing her capacity to 30 birds by buying a second hotel.

She is now looking to expand her successful business and went on the show to win over the Dragons and attract financial investment and expert guidance to realise her dream of Hen Weekend Chicken Boarding becoming a franchise.

Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett and Touker Suleyman all listened to her idea at Versa Studios in Manchester.

However, Katriona did not take any of her own 17 chickens to the shoot for welfare reasons.

Social media fitness coach Joe Wicks, who became known for keeping the nation fit during the pandemic, was also a guest star on the panel.

Katriona, who has a degree in animal science from Canterbury Christ Church University, says her favourite judge was fellow animal lover Deborah.

But she remained tight-lipped about whether they are now business partners.

Katriona told KentOnline that facing the Dragons was the “scariest thing” she has ever done but “overall was amazing”.

She said: “Being on the set with production and in front of the Dragons was just incredible but I can't really put it into words how great it was.

“It is bizarre as it is exactly what you see on the television in terms of the atmosphere, the arguing and the Dragons bickering between themselves.

“I am absolutely terrified to see myself on national TV, I'm not going to lie. But it's a great platform for my business which is going to be seen by millions of people.

“I'm going to cringe watching it. But yeah, I think I'll get a couple of my more well-behaved hens indoors and we'll sit and watch it together.”

Katriona’s six-year-old son Fred Gray, who gets lots of hands-on experience with the feathered guests, will be watching the episode alongside his mum.

The episode is the first of series 22 and airs at 8pm on Thursday, January 9 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Katriona added: “He is very proud of his mum and loves watching and meeting the new birds coming and going.

“It’s a really enjoyable experience for my son, particularly to be brought up around these animals and get that hands-on experience with them.

“I can't say many six-year-olds have 30-plus hens in the garden so Fred's very lucky. He also loves the eggs that come with it.”

The bird enthusiast started the business in October 2023 after noticing a gap in the market for temporary accommodation for chickens when she was looking for somewhere to board her own birds, which numbered eight at the time.

She gave KentOnline a tour of her day-to-day operation a month later.

The animals in her care receive food and bedding, and an afternoon treat of corn.

There are also automatic sliding doors from the hen houses into the chicken run and the birds are serenaded by classical music at all times.