800 'battery hens' rescued from cruel fate, now look for loving homes: 'They've never been on grass...'

A recent news story of retired hens needing new loving homes attracted immense attention on the internet. The story made headlines as the charity, British Hen Welfare Trust, shared a post on their Instagram account, @britishhenwelfaretrust, with the caption, "We’ve just been given the chance to save 820 extra hens from slaughter this weekend." As reported by the BBC, Francesca Mapp, from the charity, shared that a rehoming event will take place in Berkeley on Saturday for those interested in adopting these lovely hens. 

Mapp further talked about the ex-commercial hens, "They've never been outside, they've only stood on a wire cage before, they've never been on grass... You are not only saving their life, but you are changing their entire world." She urged people to offer these hens with much-needed 'TLC' (tender loving care), sharing how "they have got so much more life left to live, which is why we step in and save as many as possibly can." 

Mapp shares how many people are still mistaken about retired hens being kept in cages. She exclaims, "Barren battery cages, where a single hen or a few hens were kept in a much smaller cage, were outlawed in 2012 and replaced with colony cages." She talks about the minimal space given to these hens and their living conditions. "About 80 hens are kept in a cage and they get about as much space as an A4 piece of paper." These tight spaces have a terrible effect on the hens, causing feather loss, skin damage, and increased stress levels.

According to a report, hens in these cages can’t do natural things like dust bathing, scratching around for food, or nesting. They also don’t have perches to roost on, which they normally do at night. Because they can’t move around much, their bones, especially in their legs and wings, become extremely weak. Another study compared hens kept for 3 years in battery cages versus aviary systems. And, the results found clear differences in their physical condition. Aviary hens were lighter, even though they ate slightly more food, and boasted much better feather cover, with 68% displaying full plumage compared to only 39% of caged hens. Caged hens also had longer claws and more toe injuries, while aviary hens had more sole injuries but only one lesion each, unlike many caged hens who had multiple lesions.

The charity believes they will be able to rehome 700 retired hens by Friday and require extra attention and homes in Devon and Oxford. Mapp also shared with the BBC about how grateful she is for the overwhelming response, but continues to wish more families would come forward and adopt. She states how they make for a great pet, "These little hens are incredible, they're so resilient but, for the first few days, it's quite bewildering for them." She further shares, "They do need a bit of coaxing out of their coop and putting to bed at night but they adapt really quickly and become incredible pets. And they lay eggs as well!"