Rehoming event to adopt and save hens from slaughter to take place at Rowlands Castle

The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) is running a day where people can take feathered friends home as pets next Saturday.

Approximately 16 million hens kept in colony cages in the UK, destined for slaughter.

Work by the charity, thanks to its 1,000 volunteers, has made sure 860,000 ex-commercial hens have found retirement homes as pets.

Every year, approximately 60,000 of them are saved from being killed.

Adopters of pet chickens have regularly sent BHWT photos of the poultry fully integrating into family life, all while giving their owners fresh eggs.

The charity also educates prospective hen keepers about how caged animals are hidden in process foods, including pasta, quiches, cakes and mayonnaise.

They also work alongside the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to develop practices to improve the lives of commercially-farmed poultry.

Pop-up collection points have been set up by BHWT across the UK, with 46 currently in place.

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Prospective hen-keepers can register there interest about the event at Rowlands Castle by next Thursday.

No fees are charged, but donations to cover adoption costs and hen welfare campaigning work – including veterinary and education programmes – are encouraged.

More information taking in pet hens can be found here.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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