Plea to rehome 100 'wonderful' hens in retirement

More than 100 "wonderful" ex-commercial hens will be at risk of slaughter if they do not find a home by Friday, a charity has warned.

The 18-month-old hens have spent their lives laying eggs at farms in Oxfordshire to supply supermarkets.

The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) is holding a "rehoming" event on Sunday aimed at giving the hens a second chance at life in new homes with new families.

However the trust said 106 hens still needed to be allocated to new owners.

The charity, which says it has rehomed more than one million hens, has rehoming sites all over the UK, with its Oxfordshire centre located in Didcot.

Its rehoming event on Sunday will see 285 ex-commercial laying hens being sent off to their new retirement homes.

Those who are interested in rehoming the birds must come forward by 14:00 on Friday.

"If they're not rehomed, they'll be at risk of slaughter," the charity said.

Andy Hill at the BHWT said: "People are often surprised by how much joy hens bring.

"They're funny, curious little characters, they love routine, and they're genuinely a delight to care for.

"Plus, they're still more than happy to pop out the occasional egg.

"These girls are more than ready for a fresh beginning, and they really do make wonderful pets."

Anyone looking to adopt needs to offer the hens security, food and water and "a little bit of TLC", said the charity.

The charity says all adopters go through background checks to ensure their home is sufficient for the hens.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.