Currently in the finishing stages of building the UK’s first dedicated Hen Welfare, Education and Visitor Centre at its headquarters in Devon, the British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) has teamed up with ChickenGuard - manufacturers and sellers of the world’s most innovative automatic chicken coop door openers - to raise vital funds to complete the UK’s first dedicated hen rehoming centre.

The purpose of the construction is to provide not only a committed rehoming centre in Devon, but also a space for holding educational talks and performing pioneering veterinary treatment on hens. 

The BHWT needs to raise just £5,000 to provide essential life-saving kit, which will provide treatment for poorly chickens and facilitate ground-breaking research for vets to utilise in their clinics across the UK. Equipment needed includes: a specialist examination table and lighting, post op recovery bays, sterilisation and surgical instruments, anesthetic equipment and a variety of other essential fixtures and fittings. 

Founder of ChickenGuard, Ben Braithwaite, said: “Our mission at ChickenGuard is to protect the girls with our automatic chicken coop door openers, so choosing to support the BHWT in 2019/20 was simply natural, because the charity has been saving hens from slaughter for many years. It is a real privilege to be part of their journey in making their hen hospital a reality.”

Since the BHWT was set up in 2005, the charity has rehomed more than 740,000 (over 60,000 a year) hens who would have otherwise gone to slaughter. The charity believes all laying hens deserve to enjoy a free-range lifestyle; including space to roam on green pasture, the chance to enjoy fresh air and sunshine, to scratch for insects and the opportunity to spread their wings for a refreshing dust bath.

Jane Howorth, MBE, founder of the BHWT, says: “We are incredibly grateful to ChickenGuard and their customers for the support with our hen hospital.

“Our new Hen Welfare, Education and Visitor Centre has only been made possible through generous donations from our loyal supporters who care as much as we do about the welfare of laying hens across the country.

“It’s therefore really fitting to have the support of ChickenGuard, who were founded with the sole purpose of keeping chickens safe, to help us complete this bespoke hen hospital that will improve and enhance the lives of hundreds of hens over the years to come.

“We can’t wait to open this new facility and to really see what difference we can make to the lives of these remarkable little animals, who bring so much joy to so many of us. On behalf of the hens, thanks again to ChickenGuard and all those who have supported us so far in making this a reality.”

For more information about the hen hospital or to make a donation so that BHWT can carry on their vital work saving the lives of thousands more hens, visit the dedicated JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chickenguard-bhwt-hen-hospital.

Every penny raised will go directly towards veterinary equipment that will help improve the quality of life for thousands of chickens.

For more information about British Hen Welfare Trust, visit https://www.bhwt.org.uk/

For more information about ChickenGuard visit www.chickenguard.co.uk