Make a New Year’s resolution worth keeping and cluck up the courage to give a hen a home

The British Hen Welfare trust will a holding a 'pop-up' Hen Collection in Allesley, Coventry on 9th January, for hundreds of ex-commercial laying hens that would otherwise be destined for slaughter and is now appealing to anyone who can offer a permanent home to a few of their hardworking girls.

Since hatching in 2005 the charity has found homes for nearly 500,000 hens, from 30+ 'pop-up' locations run by volunteers across the UK. In just a few weeks it is set to enter the records books with the re-homing of its half a millionth hen, Dee. A phenomenal achievement in terms of re-homing pets and something the charity believes to be a world first!

Local Coordinator for the charity Ian Farrar, told us: “After receiving so many gifts at Christmas, January is a great time to consider re-homing some of our gorgeous girls, it's a nice way to give a little something back. Ex-bats are naturally amiable and simple to keep making them ideal pets for families and first time chicken keepers. If you haven't adopted hens before, it's incredibly rewarding and the feel-good factor in saving lives is simply unbeatable"

The charity which re-homes commercial laying hens, and encourages support for the British egg industry also aims to educate the public on how they can make a difference to hen welfare through making simple changes to their shopping habits. Whilst consumers will often select free range eggs to use in baking and cooking, they are unaware of just how many eggs are used in processed food products and checking food labels is the best way to select high welfare eggs wherever they are used.

If you would like to find out more about adopting a few of these hens please call the charity at Hen Central on 01884 860084 or email hens@bhwt.co.uk. Whether you are a complete novice or returning to hen keeping the charity is on hand to answer any of your hen keeping queries.

NB. Hens need to be reserved in advance of the Hen Collection, and directions to the re-homing site will only be given once your registration is complete.