Students volunteer with British Hen Welfare Trust.
Veterinary students from the University of Nottingham have been volunteering at the British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) to help the hens find new homes.
The rehoming days taking place in Newark and Derby, saw 18 students rehome almost 400 rescue hens.
Veterinary student Lauren Cox, who runs the Shelter Medicine Project at the university, commented: “Although they probably aren’t the first species that pop into your head when you think of shelter animals, they are rescued from slaughter and provided with a chance to live a better life – so I figured why not?!”
Attending the BHWT rehoming day in Ashbourne, Derby, Lauren helped to send 291 hens off to happy homes, and is keen to expand the variety of species that the veterinary students work with.
She added: “During the first few years of vet school, chicken handling practicals take place with the hens we keep at our smallholding.
“The rehoming day was a brilliant opportunity for us to really practice these skills, and it was amazing to see everyone become so much more confident over the course of the day.”
On Saturday 13 August six more veterinary students volunteered at the charity's Newark rehoming, with 196 hens successfully rehomed.
Providing students with more hands-on time with poultry, the charity hopes that the initiative will continue, so that veterinary students feel confident and comfortable treating hens as they move into the workplace.
Image (C) British Hen Welfare Trust
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
