Thinking of keeping chickens or adding to your existing flock? While there are lots of fancy fowl with fine feathers on offer, adopting ex-commercial hens is a great place to start say the experts at the British Hen Welfare Trust.
What is a rescue chicken?
Rescue chickens are ex-commercial hens. The BHWT collect these hens from enriched cages, barns and free-range farms when they are around 17 months old, when they are deemed no longer commercially viable and would otherwise be sent to slaughter.
What breed is a rescue chicken?
Ex-commerical hens can be a variety of breeds. At the BHWT, the rehomed hens are commercial hybrids and are a mix of Lohman Browns, Goldlines, Hylinesor Isa’s, all of which are Rhode Island Red crosses.
Are rescue chickens easy to look after?
Bred to be docile, ex-commercial hens are gentle, inquisitive and friendly with very individual characters - they'll even happily eat out of your hand and follow you around the garden given half a chance.
Do adopted hens still lay eggs?
Diligent layers, the majority of rehomed hens happily carry on laying if offered a high-quality diet - afterall, they're bred for productivity.
The quality of the shell may decrease overtime, as for any aging hen, causing soft shelled eggs; using an egg shell improver can help.
Egg production can’t be guaranteed and naturally changes over time; eggs increase in size but will likely decrease in numbers.
Adopted hens aren’t accustomed to finding and using a nest box, but by providing a private warm and cosy space you’ll witness the pride they take in creating their first real nest in which to lay an egg.
Do rescue chickens need vaccinations?
All commercial farmers vaccinate, worm and salmonella test their birds as their eggs form part of the human food chain, but it’s worth noting that these vaccinations don’t always offer lifelong protection.
It’s good practice to register with a vet as you would with any other pet. We recommend doing this as soon as your hens arrive rather than waiting until there is an issue.
How long do ex-commercial hens live?
While most hens go on to enjoy a long and happy free-range retirement, these girls have worked hard for almost 18 months and, as with any animal, some will have a shorter lifespan than others.
Find out more
Our experts answer all your chicken-related questions, from how much room to hens need, can chickens fly? and do hens have teeth?
Thinking of adopting ex-commercial hens? Visit bhwt.org.uk for a wealth of resources.
The British Hen Welfare Trust is the UK’s largest charity for commercial laying hens. Each year they rehome around 60,000 hens as family pets that would otherwise have been destined for slaughter. They have approximately 1,400 volunteers and almost 50 collection points across the UK. They also have an associate charity in France, Champs Libres aux Poules, which rehomes thousands of commercial laying hens as pets too.