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Brits turn to chicken keeping during lockdown

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The Covid-19 pandemic might be a dim and distant memory, but the lockdowns that were enforced to keep many of us at home to slow the spread of the virus spurred many Brits to seek out new hobbies. Sales on Haynes' UK website soared as DIYers and hobbyists looked to learn new skills or complete essential repairs on cars and motorcycles while garages were closed.

But it was information on chicken keeping that proved most popular at Haynes UK, with sales of its Chicken Manual up by 1,600%. At one point it was Haynes’ best-seller on haynes.com, ahead of car and motorcycle workshop manuals – and is available here in Australia, along with many other popular Haynes manuals.

Click here for a preview video of the Chicken Manual

Second to chickens in the lockdown chart was Haynes’ famous Bike Book, whose sales were boosted since the UK Government’s announcement that cycling and cycle repairs were to be encouraged. Also riding high was the Haynes Bike Repair Guide app, which hit the #1 spot in the App Store’s Sports category.

Four van manuals featured in the top 10, with busy owners finally finding time to complete some running repairs, with both print and online formats proving popular. Sales of motorcycle manuals also increased sharply, and two of Haynes’ popular Triumph manuals were the best-selling examples. Outside of the top 10, but also proving popular among locked-down Britons were the Shed Manual, the Road Trip Manual (for forward planners) and Car Hacks – a manual that is full of “make-do-and-carry-on” fixes for car owners who may not usually work on their vehicles.

The top 10 sellers on haynes.com during lockdown 1 in the UK

1 Chicken Manual

2 Bike Book (7th edition)

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4 Triumph Bonneville T100, T120, Bobber, Thruxton, Street Twin, Cup & Scrambler (2016-19) Haynes Repair Manual

5 Ford Transit Diesel (2006-13) Haynes Online Repair Manual

6 Volkswagen T5 Transporter (2003-15) Haynes Repair Manual

7 Volkswagen T5 Transporter (2003-15) Haynes Online Repair Manual

8 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST, Speed Triple & Tiger (2005-14)

9 Vauxhall Vivaro & Renault Trafic Diesel (2001-14) Haynes Repair Manual

10 Vauxhall Insignia Petrol & Diesel (2008-12)

 

Jeremy Yates-Round, Managing Director Haynes Consumer commented: “We expect interest in our manuals to continue to rise as people start to seek ways to become more self-sufficient or learn something new at home through our lifestyle manuals.

"This could be anything from taking up knittingcooking, keeping chickens, playing guitar or coding, through to making plans for the home and garden, or even fixing up bicycles to make them roadworthy.  We also have a very popular book for women and their families to understand more about the menopause.”  

Jeremy added: “We are also seeing more people seeking professional and trusted advice on how to repair and maintain their cars and motorcycles, as people start to tinker with their vehicles while at home.”