Celebrating 20 years

Rehoming ex-commercial hens is, of course, so natural and normal to us now that you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who hadn’t heard of it. However, back in 2005 it was far from the done thing...

Fast forward to the present day and the British Hen Welfare Trust is still basking in the glow of having found homes for ONE MILLION ex-commercial hens. And if the King rehoming hens isn’t endorsement enough, you only have to speak to a handful of families, couples, schools, universities and even prisons who have taken on some of these little birds to realise they are entirely worthy of a space in your back garden.

The charity’s journey from inception to 20th birthday has been underpinned by the belief that the humble hen is under-appreciated, under-valued and over-used by society in general; however, the tide has most definitely turned over that time as proven by the fact there are now 1.6 million domestic fowl kept as pets in the UK alone.

This has advanced hens to fourth spot in the UK list of most popular pets and, while their status has grown, the number kept in commercial cages has dwindled, much to the charity’s delight. Free range eggs made up just 35% of the overall market in 2005 compared to 73.5% in 2024, meaning millions more hens now have access outdoors thanks in no small part to the BHWT’s campaign work.

From appearing alongside Jamie Oliver on prime-time TV to sending the charity’s one millionth hen off to live with King Charles, BHWT founder Jane Howorth has encountered many pivotal moments over the past 20 years.

Chickens were thrust into the spotlight when they featured on Jamie’s Fowl Dinners in 2008, with Jane alongside, after which a tidal wave of interest in rehoming hens occurred.

The momentum continued until the last battery hen was taken out of her cage on 31st December 2011, followed three years later by the charity rehoming its 500,000th hen in 2016, shortly before Jane was awarded an MBE for her services to laying hens.

Two years on and the charity enjoyed one of its best years to date in 2018, with 70,000 hens winging their way to a free-range retirement, the same year as the BHWT was named JustGiving’s Charity of the Year.

Of course, we all know what took place in 2024 with the charity’s one millionth hen winging her way to a new home at Highgrove Gardens along with 30 of her feathered friends.

It was a momentous year and one which will go down in our history with pride and joy.

Of course, none of the past 20 years would have been possible without a phenomenal amount of hard work by many people, not least the team of BHWT staff, some of whom have been with the charity for well over a decade. And, as the team continues to grow, so does the list of objectives we are collectively achieving in the name of hen welfare.

Beyond the confines of the office walls, our network of hen helpers spreads far and wide across the UK thanks to the charity’s 1,400 volunteers, all of whom are unwavering in their passion for saving feathered lives. They get up in the early hours at weekends, trek up and down the country and get covered in feathers and chicken poop so they can send hundreds of hens on their way to better things.

When they climb into bed at the end of the day, they know the hens will be doing the same - in a cosy coop for the very first time. We remain forever grateful to our volunteers for their dedication to helping hens.

Then come the rehomers and supporters themselves. Over the past 20 years they have stepped up in their thousands to welcome hens into their families, but also to support in ways beyond rehoming. Hundreds of miles have been run in the name of hen welfare, hundreds of cakes baked and countless donations made, all to help hens get their second chance.

While rehoming is still the charity’s primary activity, we of course aim to improve welfare for all hens, including the ones we rehome and those left behind.

We continue to educate consumers so they can influence welfare from the supermarket shelves all the way down to the farm by buying the best eggs they can afford, thereby ensuring the hens who laid them enjoyed the best conditions possible.

Another key part of our work is our longstanding Improving Pet Hen Health project which encompasses an online course created for vets as well as our Hen Helpline, a service available to hen keepers all over the UK in need of support. Whilst the helpline is not able to offer veterinary advice, it receives hundreds of calls and emails each month and has become a vital source of information for many, especially in areas where there’s no vet available with suitable avian experience.

As we move through 2025 we sow the seeds for global growth, and our sister charity in France is already ahead of us in terms of hens rehomed this year.

Of course, our rehoming efforts will continue in earnest and we look forward to finding homes for thousands of ex-commercial laying hens, as well as continuing to work with key stakeholders including DEFRA and veterinarians across the UK.