Give a hen a home - rescue chickens looking for somewhere to live

Hen welfare charity, the British Hen Welfare Trust, is having a re-homing day in Brackley on August 23 and is looking for new homes for former caged hens.

The national charity re-homes commercial laying hens, finding homes for over 428,000 since it started in 2005.

All the hens were destined for slaughter, but the trust has stepped in to rescue them.

On re-homing days pop up centres are organised by a local co-ordinator and a team of volunteers.

Anna Whiteside, who has been the co-ordinator at Brackley since 2010, regularly re-homes several hundred hens a month at pre-arranged adoption days.

Mrs Whiteside, who has adopted some hens herself, said: “The girls are just adorable! It is hugely rewarding to watch their feathers grow back and witness their personalities develop in the weeks after they are freed from the cages.

“They make the ideal starter hens for families and first time chicken keepers. So if you have room in your garden for a coop and run please get in touch.”

Gaynor Davies, logisitics co-ordinator for the British Hen Welfare Trust said: “The farmer has been kind enough to let us take his birds and we have our team at Brackley ready to collect the hens on August 23 but we need to ensure that every hen has a home waiting for her when she comes out of her cage.”

The charity is appealing for anyone who is able to offer a home to contact them first by calling 01884 860084, or emailing [email protected] to ensure no hens are left behind at the farm.