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Charities unite to rescue hens
Sarah Carr
Sarah Carr with her daughter Bethany, Marie Channer and Julie Lankshire.

British Hen Welfare Trust and Wood Green find homes for hundreds of birds

Hundreds of hens have been handed over to the Godmanchester headquarters of Wood Green by the British Hen Welfare Trust, following a joint mission to rescue thousands of former commercial birds.

Over 300 hens are now available for adoption, with some already having found new homes.

Among those prepared to give the chickens a new home is Sarah Carr, who travelled from just outside King's Lynn with her daughter Bethany to claim 10 of the hens.

Sarah said: "I've always wanted hens and had been searching online to find out about rehoming, so we jumped at the chance to take 10 from this latest rescue.

"My daughter has been incredibly excited in the lead-up to the big day, and has been watching us build a coop and run in preparation.

"She's named some of the hens after Frozen characters, and was delighted to find we had six eggs on the first morning of having them."

The British Hen Welfare Trust has been finding homes for almost 500,000 ex-commercial hens, otherwise destined for slaughter, since 2005.

Two weeks ago, the charity joined forces with Wood Green to stage a rehoming rescue for thousands of former commercial hens.

Of the 250 hens that arrived on the first day, all were rehomed the same week.

Marie Channer, field and small animal welfare manager at Wood Green, said: "We are delighted to be working with British Hen Welfare trust on these rescues and enabling ex-commercial birds to have a better existence."

Julie Lankshear from British Hen Welfare added: "It is great to see these healthy, strong girls enjoying some well-earned freedom."

Hens are now fast becoming popular family pets in both urban and countryside areas. Among the celebrities said to be a fan of keeping chicks are Jamie Oliver, Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey and Billie Piper.

To find out more about rehoming hens visit www.woodgreen.org.uk.

Image (C) Wood Green

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Cold-water dip to raise funds for Vetlife

News Story 1
 The veterinary mental health charity Vetlife is inviting the veterinary community to join it for a sponsored cold-water dip.

The event will take place at Walpole Bay, Margate, on 17 May during Mental Health Awareness Week. Participants of all abilities can join in the challenge and are advised to bring a towel, a hot drink, a snack, and warm clothes to get changed into afterwards.

Those taking part are being asked to try to raise £100 each to support the work of the charity.

Details about how to take part can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue low vector period ends

In an update to its bluetongue guidance, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the seasonal low vector period for the disease has ended.

With winter over, Defra is planning for a possible increase in cases as midges become more active. It has warned that farms along the east coast of England from Norfolk to Kent, and along the south coast from Kent to Devon, are at highest risk from infected midges blown over from northern Europe.

Since the virus was detected in England in November 2023, there have been 126 confirmed cases. The most recent case to be confirmed was on 1 March 2024.

Farmers are asked to continue to frequently monitor their livestock and ensure their animals and land are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.