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Pet Owners

Charities and Public Unite to Re-Home Ex-Commercial Laying Hens

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Over 230 plucky hens experienced sunshine for the first time this week, thanks to a remarkable partnership between Wood Green, The Animals Charity, and the British Hen Welfare Trust.

Hen lovers from across the UK had responded to a rehoming appeal from the charities and were ready and waiting to provide new homes to the former commercial-laying hens.

Most of the hens were rehomed on the day thanks to volunteers of the British Hen Welfare Trust, who having been finding homes for almost 500,000 ex-commercial hens, otherwise destined for slaughter, since 2005.  Out of the 230 hens that arrived, all were rehomed during the last five days.

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Among those prepared to travel many miles to provide a new home, were the Brunswick family from Saffron Walden. Son Theo was delighted the family’s brood would be increased as a result of the rescue: “We’ve just made a brand new pen ready for our hens. I think they will really like their new home and it’s great for me – I love eggs, I eat them every morning!”

Marie Channer, Field and Small Animal Welfare Manager at Wood Green, said:  “Seeing the magical moment when they are released makes all the hard work really worthwhile. It’s so rewarding…especially when you see the girls out in the sunshine, charging around in the grass. Within a few weeks the hens will be full feathered and fabulous, content to spend the rest of their lives roaming freely.  They will quickly adjust to their new found freedom, enjoying dust baths and laying eggs for their new owners.”

With the right space and a little know how, keeping hens as pets is a very rewarding hobby, which is why so they are becoming such popular pets.  If you want to rehome one of the remaining hens then please visit www.woodgreen.org.uk. To find out more about future re-homing events please visit www.bhwt.org.uk

 

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