Charity urgently seeks homes for hens destined for slaughter before Christmas

National hen welfare charity, the British Hen Welfare Trust, is urgently appealing to kind-hearted members of the public with room in their back garden to rehome some ex-commercial hens, so avoiding their alternative fate.

These hens have laid eggs on commercial farms for approximately 18 months before their egg laying slows down, meaning they become commercially unviable and so are sent to slaughter and used in pet food, soups or stocks.

However, the BHWT knows they have so much life left if given the chance, which is why they have so far rehomed more than ONE MILLION laying hens to back gardens, schools, universities and even prisons around the UK.

His Majesty The King rehomed the charity’s one millionth hen.

Jane Howorth, founder and CEO of the BHWT, said: “This time of year can be a little dark and gloomy so why not add some extra cheer to your back garden in the form of some feathered friends. They are truly life-enriching, as proven by over 50 per cent of our rehomers who have adopted hens more than once and, better yet, you’ll get an egg two for your breakfast. What other pet can offer that tasty treat?”

Hens will be available from the following locations in the lead up to Christmas:

Sunday, 1st December

Great Barugh, York

Guildford, Surrey

Oakhill, Somerset

Letwell, Rotherham

Sutton Coldfield, West Mids

Locking, Bristol

South Marston, Wiltshire

Rotherwas, Hereford

Saturday, 7th December

Stanton, Suffolk

Ringmer, East Sussex

Bishops Stortford, Herts

Sunday, 8th December

Worthing, West Sussex

Great Brickhill, Milton Keynes

Great Totham, Essex

Biggin Hill, Kent

Saturday, 14th December

Boncath, Wales

Scotland – Inverness, Denny and Biggar

Cwmbran, Torfaen

Sunday, 15th December

Didcot, Oxford

Nantwich, Cheshire

Ashbourne, Derbyshire

Berkeley, Gloucester