Poultry Vet Guide – a world-first

Chickens are well-documented as the underdogs of the animal world. While there are more of them on the planet than any other species, they are undervalued and under-appreciated, but we continue doing our best to change that.

Our rehoming work has been a huge factor in elevating hens to the fourth most populous pet in the UK, but sadly veterinary treatment hasn’t kept pace.

Too often we hear from hen keepers who have taken their poorly poultry to the vets only to have euthanasia presented as the primary option, and we know our hens deserve better. As do our vets because, let’s face it, none of them want to put a pet down if they can avoid it but the simple truth is poultry health is vastly neglected during veterinary training.

To combat this, so far we have established our Hen Helpline which is available to every hen keeper in the UK; our free poultry course has been viewed by 10,000 people in 100+ countries and completed by over 2,000 people in 50+ countries. Finally, our research grants are funding groundbreaking research to improve our knowledge about pet hen illnesses and behaviours.

But this summer we’re going one step further with our pioneering initiative, the Poultry Vet Guide. This world-first in veterinary treatment is not just for chickens, but geese, ducks and turkeys, and the BHWT has been at the forefront. The resource, which launches imminently, gives vets access to expert knowledge at their fingertips, enabling them to diagnose and treat pet birds quickly and efficiently.