This weekend, the British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) is hoping to save more than 300 laying hens from slaughter and is appealing for people to adopt the birds.
The charity, which operates across the country, will be hosting a hen rehoming session this Sunday (15/3) in Middle Weald. The hens will be collected from their cages ready to make their way to their new family homes in time for Easter, and the BHWT is asking the people of Milton Keynes to make some room in their gardens for these ex-battery hens.
The BHWT rehomes laying hens once they reach 18 months old and are no longer deemed commercially viable. The charity collects the hens from farms and works with a network of volunteers to find suitable retirement homes for more than 65,000 hens each year who would otherwise be destined for slaughter.
Although the hens may be feather bare on arrival, the feathers will regrow and the comb will regain a healthy red colour. The chickens go on to become much loved family pets, and even continue to provide their new owners with the odd egg or two in return. Jane Howorth MBE, founder of the BHWT, said: “We’re all set and ready to send hundreds of hens flying off to a free-range retirement, we just need the people of Middle Weald to help us find them all suitable homes. All you need is a cosy coop, enough space for the hens to scratch for bugs and slugs and some room in your heart for these lovely girls, who really don’t take long to become part of the family.
"These girls will be over the moon to have a chance to see what life is really all about, and might even lay you your very own Easter egg!
“We’ve found homes for more than 750,000 chickens across the country now and there’s a reason they are becoming so popular to keep as pets. They’re intelligent, friendly and thoroughly entertaining to watch and we believe they are good for people’s wellbeing too. We’ll be taking these hens from their cages for the first time this weekend, please help us repay these hens for their egg-laying efforts and save them from slaughter.”
If you’d like to rehome a flock of your own, a rehoming is taking place in Middle Weald (MK19) on Sunday 15 March. To book register your details at https://www.bhwt.org.uk/register/ and then call Hen Central on 01884 860084.
Anyone interested will need to register online as soon as possible.
