HENSUS 2022

We asked, you answered

Every few years we dive beak-first into the lives of you and your hens (nosey aren’t we!) to find out more about your love of hens, and what you think of us.

More than 1,000 of you responded, so we figure it’s only fair to share the results with you, warts and all (just a saying, no warts, promise!).

First up, we asked how many hens you all have, with four being the most popular answer, closely followed by three – seems you like to keep your flocks small and sweet.

That said, it doesn’t stop some of you having a favourite hen. Victoria told us: “My favourite is Winnie an ex-battery rescued November 2021. She was completely bald and in a terrible state. She is the friendliest chicken we have had and is rather partial to pecking us for attention.”

Lots wouldn’t admit to having a favourite of course and love all your hens the same; the diplomatic corps of the charity.

A huge 80% said you’ve rehomed from us, but we still love the 20% who haven’t and it just shows we’re reaching new audiences and all who love hens are welcome!

When asked why 80% of you chose to rehome, Lynn told us: "It's the right thing to do. I feel like they have been 'thrown away' because they are no longer egg-laying machines. They can retire and have a jolly life in the country instead."

We weren’t that surprised to see that 85% of people who kept chickens were also general animal lovers, with 57% also keeping dogs, 47% cats and 11% horses. There were some other more exotic pets in there too including tortoises, sheep and quails.