Hen Helpline

When the BHWT was founded 21 years ago we could never have imagined hens would go on to become the UK’s fourth most popular pet, and that we’d be rehoming our one millionth hen to His Majesty the King.

While this unprecedented popularity is hugely welcome, there came the issue of supporting this wonderful new hen-keeping community with basic health advice, which is why our Hen Helpline was created. Free to adopters for four weeks post rehoming, the service offers a vital ear to those needing advice on all aspects of hen keeping, from behavioural issues like merging and bullying to health issues like sour crop and bumblefoot.

A small charge is incurred to those outside of the four-week window to help subsidise the cost of running the helpline; however, more funding was needed to secure its future and, to date, the Pets Foundation has donated £29,150 over a three-year period to ensure it is able to be there for hen keepers, regardless of where their hens came from.

We are so grateful to Pets Foundation for its support and for allowing us to create a sustainable model for helping hens and their keepers in a time of need.

For more information, or to use our Hen Helpline, visit bhwt.org.uk/hen-health/henhelpline