Hen rescuers' landmark bid

Amberswood-based Lucky Hens Rescue usually holds regular rehoming days, when caged hens are collected from farms and given new homes, becoming much-loved family pets.

But it had to cancel its planned adoption day in April when the pandemic broke out and lockdown measures were imposed.

Now, however, it is hoping to reach an incredible re-homing milestone very soon.

Alison Thorpe, who founded the centre in 2010, said: “We have not been able to do anything. Both properties are residential, the collection points are residential and we have people who are vulnerable, so we had to temporarily close down.

“It was worrying financially because without the donations for the hens, we have had no income. We have been pleading online so we have had help from our lovely followers.

“All being well, we will start our rescue days on Saturday, August 29. We have booked 550 hens because that’s the maximum we can transport. The farm we are rescuing from has 32,000 in its shed. We are only taking a tiny amount, but we can’t save them all.”

Hundreds of hens were adopted earlier in the year, but Alison fears they have probably missed the opportunity to save around 1,000 because of the lockdown.

But more rescue days will be held later in the year, which will hopefully see 2,000 hens saved before Christmas.

The non-profit organisation is also well on its way to meeting a significant milestone.

Alison said: “We will definitely reach our 30,000th hen this year.

“It’s surreal really. I didn’t ever plan to do this, it just happened and grew. There is a demand for them, people are finding out about the cruelty behind the egg industry, especially the caged hens. I think we are the only ones in the North West that get the caged hens.”

Lucky Hens collects caged hens that would otherwise have gone to slaughter and finds new homes for them, giving them a second chance at life.

To find out more about adopting hens, go to www.luckyhensrescue.com.