Hen Rehoming Dates & Locations
Please read our Frequently Asked Questions even if you have previous experience in hen keeping, there are important points you need to read. If you haven’t registered or rehomed hens from us before, please register for hens using the link here.
If you have adopted from us before, either call us on 01884 860084 or
email hens@bhwt.co.uk telling us how many hens you would like and your postcode – we will do the rest, and do our best to get some hens for you as soon as possible.
To find your nearest hen collection point, simply find a location on the map. When you click on the collection point, a box pops open containing the next provisional rehoming date. We update this page as soon as we have any new dates confirmed, so please check back regularly to make sure you don’t miss out.
Note that locations displayed and listed are approximate and full location information and direction details will be provided when hen reservations are confirmed.

Hens available

Hens unavailable
‘Halcyon’ days for 13 lucky hens!
[su_image_slider image1=”https://holly.undermywing.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/cheeks-betty-tracie-emerson.jpg”]PRESS RELEASE – 06-07-2010 Keen animal lover Philippa Forrester is a household name,having presented some of the landmark series of the past two decades,including

‘It’s All About Hens’ Exhibition
The Harborne Art Gallery, located within Frametec in Harborne, will be hosting an exhibition all about hens! The aptly titled exhibition, ‘It’s All About The

‘Hentroducing’ our Regional Volunteer Community Fundraiser!
As one of our key supporters, we would like to hand over to our very own Megan Whiteman to share her experience of fundraising for us via
#chipinforchickens fundraising update
We are storming ahead with the fundraising for our new welfare and education centre! The facility will be the UK’s first and will be built
20,000 ex-commercial hens find homes in Essex
A group of charity volunteers re-homed their 20,000th hen in Great Totham this month. The group volunteers tirelessly for the British Hen Welfare Trust and

26 miles and counting!
Very best of luck to Joey and Corinne from Copthorne Vets in Shrewsbury who will be undertaking the Mynd Dover 26 mile walk on Saturday,

500,000 steps in 50 days!
Here is a lovely update from the inspiring Kyra de Groome about her 500,000 steps in 50 days challenge! She has just finished the challenge
A flipping good idea!
Dig out your pancake recipes and take part in our Free Range Friday fundraiser.
A fox tip
If you have the terrible experience of finding a fox has visited your hen enclosure, your first instinct will be to pick up any hens

A gift from the garden
A hen-lover has raised over £300 for three charities by holding a garden party at her home in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Part of the money raised by

A Healthy Hen Comb
A healthy hen comb and should be red, plump and glossy (this often denotes she’s in lay). Have you ever wondered what the function of a hens’s

A lovely donation…
THE wonderful team at Ash Veterinary Surgery in Merthyr Tydfil donated £75 to the British Hen Welfare Trust, despite having its charity tin stolen. We were saddened

A once good egg now slightly cracked
DID YOU KNOW? Egg yolks are one of the few foods that are a naturally good source of Vitamin D. #BritishEggWeek #EggFact It’s at this point

A Royal Hengagement
The Queen turns 92 next weekend and hundreds of hens are hoping join in the celebrations whilst settling into free range retirement homes across the

A scrumptious presentation helps raise money for hen welfare charity
Whilst the Great British Bake Off may now be over this hasn’t stopped budding bakers continuing to whip up scrumptious cakes for good causes. Samantha

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down….
None of us particularly like taking medicine. Remember Calpol?! Yuck. Hens are no different! If you are struggling to persuade your hen to take medicine

A winter spa day
In this horrible wet weather there is a shortage of dry dust bath areas for your hens to perform their ablutions. Dust baths are important

Adopted assistants help egg-ucate countryside class
A countryside centre based in Devizes has adopted 20 ex-commercial hens from an animal welfare charity to assist with its education and wellbeing project. The

Aldi
We have all seen their slick TV advertising, but we wanted to find out if Aldi’s welfare credentials are all they’re cracked up to be given their low prices.
Aldi to phase out caged eggs
Some truly wonderful news has reached us here at Hen Central just in time for the weekend – Aldi is to start phasing out the

Allen & Page
“We are proud to have such a long association with the British Hen Welfare Trust and pleased to be feeding the nation’s ex-bats.”
Allen & Page Smallholder Range Feed is back in stock by popular demand!
The British Hen Welfare Trust is once again stocking the Allen & Page Smallholder Range feed in its online shop.

Amanda Holden
“I used to have some ex-battery hens when I was a child and remember well the sorry condition they arrived in and the pleasure it was to see them”

An egg a day could reduce risk of a stroke and heart disease
Eating an egg a day reduces your risk of a stroke by a quarter compared with those who rarely eat them, research suggests. The link

An eggcellent read
Mad about hens? Just can’t get enough of those ginger ninjas? Then take a look at our Chicken & Egg magazine… As you can see

An interview with 14-year-old Lucy Gavaghan
We thought you’d like to hear a bit more from Lucy Gavaghan following the recent success of her Tesco petition. It gained more than 280,00

An issue that keeps cropping up…
One of the more regular calls I receive at Hen Central relates to issues with the crop.

An update on avian flu
Afternoon everyone As promised we want to keep you abreast of any latest news, and also provide some further advice, regarding the avian flu threat

Apple Cider Vinegar – the natural way to good hen health
If you asked me to pick one natural product that I would give to my hens on a regular basis, it would be Apple Cider

Are hens still in cages?
I really enjoy talking to new re-homers and love the enthusiasm and passion that comes across when we are discussing the arrival of the lucky
Are you eating illegal eggs?
[su_image_slider image1=”https://holly.undermywing.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/eggs1.jpg”]PRESS RELEASE – 09-01-2012 Tucking into a pub meal? Enjoying bit of quiche, ice-cream or a ready meal? Did you know that the eggs

Ask Gaynor – 7 Jan 2016
Recently Janet Stokes asked: Okay, why do my rescues still feel quite thin, when they have access to food – warmed mash, pellets and crumb

Avian Flu – reporting non-compliance
We know our supporters are abiding by the Defra Prevention Zone regulations and that you are keen to ensure that everyone who keeps poultry is

Avian Flu Outbreak
There was an outbreak of avian flu in East Yorkshire earlier this year and we thought it timely to remind you that we all need

Avian Flu Prevention Zone extended
An Avian Flu Prevention Zone put in place by Defra on 6 December for 30 days has now been extended until 28 February. Whilst legally

Avian Flu Prevention Zone put in place in England
Defra have this morning announced that an Avian Flu Prevention Zone has been put in place in England. This applies to everyone who keeps poultry

Avian Flu Prevention Zones lifted
The Avian Flu Prevention Zones put in place across England and Wales earlier this year have today been lifted. As of 12pm on 25 May,
Avian flu restrictions from 28 February
Defra has announced new restrictions in England going forward from 28 February. From 1 March there will be a more targeted approach to protect birds against

Avian Influenza – Guidance for hen keepers
There have been outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N8) across Europe. As a result Defra last night declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone across England,

Avian Influenza – Keep your hens hentertained!
Some helpful suggestions on how to keep your girls entertained while they’re on lockdown during the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone.
Avoid McVitie’s on Chocolate Cake Day
Chocolate cake lovers have the perfect excuse to tuck in to a slice today. But the British Hen Welfare Trust is reminding cake lovers to

Baked Eggs with Creamy Nutmeg Spinach
Try this tasty twist on a classic Italian recipe of baked eggs with creamy nutmeg spinach. Eggs are full of protein and the healthy leafy green spinach counts

Baking + Funds Raised = Happy Hens
By asking your generous colleagues to donate just £1 for a slice of your home baked (or shop bought!) cake, donations raised from one whole

Baking = Fundraising Success!
Did you know that research published by the Charities Aid Foundation found that bake sales in Great Britain helped to raise an estimated £185 million

Banana and Baileys Bread & Butter Pudding
Jamie Oliver’s twist on the classic bread and butter pudding recipe, baileys soaked banana and bread pudding is the epitome of indulgence. This is my

Bantam x cockerel
Location: Winchester
Breed: Bantam
Age: Eight months

Barnevelder cockerel
Location: Whitchurch, Shropshire
Breed: Barnevelder
Age: Six months

Be a Runny Egg!
Christmas is around the corner which means plenty of indulgence. From mince pies to Yorkshire puds, Christmas cake to mulled wine, we all love to

Bearded Silkie cockerel
Location: Basingstoke, RG24 7BL
Breed: Bearded Silkie
Age: Five months

Benefits of Green Tea
This week I am going a little off-piste and into non-scientifically proven ground and talk about Green Tea. Green Tea? Yes a morning cuppa for

BHWT eBay super star!
This week we would like to celebrate our eBay super star Megan Whiteman who has raised over £10,000 for the BHWT through her eBay shop,

BHWT to fund ground-breaking research to improve pet hen health
The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT), founded in 2005, is working with avian specialists to commission research projects that will help improve diagnosis and treatment for chickens, increasing the quality of welfare and longevity of pet hens.

Biodynamic eggs…a new one on us!
We stumbled across a new term recently which we simply had to share with you. Hands up who’s heard of “biodynamic eggs”? No, us neither.

Bird-brained? We don’t think so…
The term bird brain is often used as a derogatory term referring to someone not very bright. Yet chickens actually have very complex brains and

Black Dog Free Range Eggs
Devon business, Black Dog Free Range Eggs, is run by a family who have been producing free range eggs for over 20 years.

Bonfire night – remember your girls
Firework season is upon us, and bonfire night itself is nearing, which is fab news for those of us who enjoy this time of year.

Boredom busters!
Just like us, hens get bored quickly if they don’t have stimulation. They love new ideas, games and activities, so here are just a few

Brand new bake sale packs!
Bake for hens’ sake! Here at Hen Central we are just like everybody else…we love a good cake! In fact we are fans of
Brighton Marathon – meet our first two runners!
They’ve signed on the dotted line and their fundraising and training has begun in earnest, so we thought it only fair that we introduce

British Airways
We spoke to Gayle Twigg, British Airways Catering Manager and the article was published in Issue 4 of Chicken & Egg in Spring 2013.
British Hen Welfare Day
Together we can help make hens happier A HEN charity in North Devon is putting on a new national event to help raise funds to
British Hen Welfare Day!
We celebrated this year’s British Hen Welfare Day at Hen Central with a wonderful selection of yummy goodies. It’s hard to decide which was the
British Hen Welfare Trust collaborates with cross-government parties including Defra
The British Hen Welfare Trust has met with DEFRA and its equivalents in Scotland and Wales to discuss ways of improving communications and simplifying the

British Hen Welfare Trust named JustGiving Charity of the Year 2018
The British Hen Welfare Trust has been named the JustGiving Charity of the Year! We were one of three shortlisted charities who received the most

British Hen Welfare Trust scoops South West social media award
PRESS RELEASE – 22-01-2014 Taking the time to hatch innovative ideas for daily tweets and Facebook posts has paid off for South Molton based national

Broody hens
Any hen can go broody at any time, broodiness is a natural tendency that all hens have to want to sit on and hatch a

Buff Orpington cockerels
Location: Romsey, Hampshire
Breed: Buff Orpington
Age: Four months

Bugs are good for you!
A survey launched last year in the EU found that over 70% of consumers would eat fish and meat from animals fed on a diet

Bumble Foot
Does your hen look as if she is wearing over-large carpet slippers? If so she might have Bumble foot. Bumble foot normally starts out with
Bumper year for North Devon charity as 56,000 hens find new homes
The British Hen Welfare Trust has this year alone re-homed 56,000 hens which ranks as one of its top three re-homing years since it was

BVNA announces the BHWT as Charity of the Year 2015/16
We are delighted to inform you that we have been chosen as the British Veterinary Nursing Association’s official Charity of the Year from October 2015,
Caged hens find freedom – behind bars
[su_image_slider image1=”https://holly.undermywing.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/steve-baldwin-flo.jpg”]PRESS RELEASE – 05-10-2011 20 battery hens were re-homed in HM Prison Holloway on Monday, a closed prison for adult women and young offenders.

Calcium or Vitamin D3 Deficiency?
A calcium or vitamin D3 deficiency can cause poor shell quality, but is quite rare in hens. If you come across this issue in your flock,

Call for help in Denmead
Our Denmead team in Hampshire are looking for new team members to help their poorly hens. If you feel you have what it takes to

Called up to judge by Harbour & Jones
Earlier this year Jane was asked if she would like to guest judge at the Harbour & Jones staff awards, naturally Jane responded with an enormous… “Yes
Can you give Thistle and her friends a loving home?
Thistle and her friends, at just 18 months old have reached the end of their commercial laying life, and are now destined for slaughter. Hen welfare charity, the British Hen Welfare Trust, is holding a pop-up Hen Collection in St. Andrews on 6th June and hopes to find loving homes for hundreds of ex-colony laying hens just like Thistle.
Can you host in Hereford?
Are you an animal lover? Do you have a stable or barn you could lend out once in a while? Then you could be the

Celebrate International Friendship Day
In light of International Friendship Day which took place yesterday, why not gather your nearest and dearest and invite them over for coffee and cake
Celebrating 10 years of happy hens
A charity set up to educate the public about laying hen welfare celebrates its 10th anniversary today (April 15th 2015).
The British Hen Welfare Trust, best known for its re-homing initiative, has found pet homes for over 450,000 commercial laying hens destined for slaughter since it was established in 2005. Jane Howorth, the Trust’s Founder, was moved by a Panorama documentary in 1977 which illustrated the stark conditions inside battery cages, and she is delighted to have reached this first milestone birthday: “I am thrilled to be celebrating our tenth anniversary, and more importantly to have found homes for so many hens and introduced people to the joys of keeping our lovely ex-bats. Of course we could not have achieved this without our wonderful team of 300+ volunteers around the UK; they have worked so hard to help so many hens.”
Challenge yourself!
If baking isn’t your thing and you’re looking to indulge in some adventure instead, perhaps consider taking part in a challenge event. From trekking across
Charity Aims to Tickle Mr Kipling’s Fancies with Free Range Feather Campaign
[su_image_slider image1=”https://holly.undermywing.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/barn-hens.jpg”]PRESS RELEASE – 10-04-2009 The Battery Hen Welfare Trust is about to take on Mr Kipling with its new “Free Range Feather Campaign”. Mr
Charity appeals for new re-homing site
Get the feel good factor and help save hens from slaughter Are you an animal lover? Do you have a stable or barn you could

Charity calls for crocheters!
As you may have heard we love all chickens, especially these lovely little crochet chickens! They are so popular we have run out again and
Charity volunteers re-home 15,000 Hampshire hens
A small group of volunteers have collectively helped save a staggering 15,000 ex-commercial hens from slaughter. The British Hen Welfare Trust volunteers held their latest

Chicken & Egg issue 20
Autumn / Winter 2018: Celeb sCoop with Dick and Angel Strawbridge – British Hen Welfare Day – WIN one of five feed bundles – We talk hidden eggs with Jamie and Jimmy

Chicken & Egg issue 21
Spring 2019: Take part in Hensus – Meet the hens changing lives – How we plan to help hens in the next six years – WIN an Omlet Eglu Go UP

Chicken & Egg issue 22
In our summer 2019 issue we give you the chance to win a Todhunter hamper and Higgidy vouchers, plus find out what you told us in our last Hensus survey!

Chicken & Egg issue 23
In our A/W issue: Celeb sCoop with Sarah Beeny; WIN an automatic coop door opener!; Be Avian Flu aware this winter; Putting hens behind bars at HMP Guys Marsh
Chicken charity defends British caged producers
[su_image_slider image1=”https://holly.undermywing.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/enriched-cage.jpg”]PRESS RELEASE – 28-04-2008 The Battery Hen Welfare Trust began its pioneering work five years ago building a bridge between commerce and welfare and
Chicken ring bearers leave wedding guests shell-shocked
A pair of hens went from cage to altar when they took on the role of ring bearers at their owners’ wedding. Blossom and Clucky,

Chicken runs to help our hens
‘Do something eggstra-ordinary – do a chicken run … for the chickens!’ Congratulations to Jan Smith who recently raised a wonderful £219 for more c-lucky
Chickens for the Chop in Corrie?
Viewers of Coronation Street will be aware of the current storyline involving the Nazir family and their hens. Sharif, Grandfather to Zeedan and Alya, was given the hens as a gift and ever since taking delivery of the chickens has been like an expectant father awaiting his first delivery… of an egg.
But concern for the storyline is growing amongst the increasing flock of chicken enthusiasts across the country. The British Hen Welfare Trust, a national charity that finds pet homes for approximately 50,000 ex-commercial hens each year, has been watching the soap with great interest, not least because Antony Cotton (aka Sean Tully) is one of its patrons.
Chickens remain UK’s sixth most popular pet
The Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association’s Pet Data Report 2017 stated around 600,000 people now keep domestic fowl, ranking them above guinea pigs, hamsters and lizards.

Chilled Out Chickens
Believe it or not hens can get stressed too. A visit from a neighbour’s dog or a close shave with a fox can leave your girls extremely stressed and unsettled.
Chip in for chickens and help build UK’s first hen welfare and education centre
A NORTH Devon charity last week launched its fundraising appeal to build the UK’s first dedicated hen welfare and education centre. The British Hen Welfare

Christmas Card Drawing Competition for under 10’s
Christmas Card Drawing Competition for under 10’s Why not give your budding artists something to do this summer holiday? We are looking for a winning

Christmas leftovers – not for your hens!
Christmas dinner! Always far more food than anyone can eat. Personally I look forward to cold leftovers the next day, you can’t beat bubble and
Clucky Birthday Prince George!
Clucky Birthday Prince George! Flower girls Eva and Eliza Hinks from Dorset help to celebrate Prince George’s Birthday with their British Hen Welfare Trust hens
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