Give Rescue Hens
Their Fresh Start
Join 10,000+ families across England and Wales
who've adopted ex-commercial birds.
These incredible ex-layers deserve gardens,
not slaughterhouses.
Why These Hens Need You
Every year, 40 million commercial laying hens in the UK face slaughter at just 72 weeks old, not because they're sick, but because their egg production naturally declines. These healthy, sociable birds have years of life ahead, but the industry sees them as spent; That's where you come in.
How We Rescue Hens
We partner with British farmers to rehome hens from enriched colony cages, barn systems, and free-range farms before their scheduled end-of-lay date. Our volunteer network works cooperatively with UK egg producers who recognise these birds deserve retirement, not slaughter.
You might hear these girls called "ex-battery hens" (though modern colony cages replaced old battery systems in 2012). Whatever their past housing, they all deserve the same fresh start: your garden.
Your Garden Could Be Their Paradise
Rescue hens thrive everywhere—from London balconies to Welsh countryside, from school projects to care home gardens. You don't need acres; you need heart. A small secure outdoor space is enough for 2-4 hens to scratch, dust-bathe, and discover grass for the first time.
What you'll get in return:
- ✓ Fresh eggs (yes, ex-commercial hens still lay!)
- ✓ Garden pest control (slugs beware)
- ✓ Endless entertainment (hen TV is real)
- ✓ Educational opportunities for children
- ✓ The profound joy of giving rescued animals a second life
Ready to adopt rescue hens? Our next rehoming dates across England and Wales have spaces available.
We do not rehome to people wishing to sell them on or for further commercial purposes.
News of our mission has been featured in
Upcoming Dates
All upcoming rehoming events,
see our Location Map to find your closest collection point!
Locations
We operate a large network of collection points throughout England and Wales.
This allows us to rehome directly from the farm to our rehomers via a wide range of locations.
We are constantly adding to this number as more volunteers join us to give a Fresh Start to commercially farmed hens and ducks.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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We always advertise our next rehoming and list of available collection points on the website, giving as much notice as we possibly can. If there is no rehoming date available, you are welcome to pre-register by completing our simple enquiry form. This will ensure you are emailed when a date is released so you can get your reservation in early.
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We ask for a minimum donation of £2.75 per hen. From this we have to pay the farmer for the hens, hire vehicles for transporting, pay for fuel and also vet bills for any poorly hens. We are a non-profit making organisation and any additional funds from the rehoming goes toward purchasing new crates, attending pet shows and general marketing costs.
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We would prefer you take a minimum of three hens, up to a maximum of 25. However, we understand everyone's circumstances are different, so if you want less than three please go ahead and make your reservation and a member of our team will be in touch to talk about your individual requirements. We can consider applications for more than 25 hens please email enquiries@freshstartforhens.co.uk
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Quite simply, yes. All our costs have to be paid in advance and as we are a non-profit making organisation, we do not the funds to purchase the hens from the farmer and cover our transport costs for the rehoming day. However, if you change your mind up to a week before the rehoming date, you may cancel your reservation via our enquiries link and we will refund you in full.
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You don't need a PayPal account to make your donation, just a debit or credit card. If you go to the DONATE button on our website, you will see a row of the debit and credit cards that can be used, to the left hand side. Under those there is a link marked 'Continue'. Click that and you will be able to donate by card.
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Sorry, this is no longer an option as volunteers have been left with uncollected hens in the past and not everyone has the facilities to provide overnight accommodation for them.
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Please feel free to ask around about us. We have thousands of previous rehomers who will verify our authenticity. If you are a member of Facebook, we have a group you can join or you can ask on any British poultry group. Also, UK based poultry forums will be filled with members who have rehomed from us previously and will be able to put your mind at ease.
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We will let you know in advance if the rehoming is cancelled and you will have the choice of having a full refund or us carrying your reservation over to the next date. If there is no future date available, all monies will be refunded within one week. The same applies if we are short of hens on the day – refund or replacement – the choice is yours.
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We have to retain the names and addresses of all rehomers to comply with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, to ensure all are contactable in case of outbreaks of notifiable disease. Your supplied information is transferred onto an electronic, password protected database. The information will be used for the following 'purposes' =>
- Establishing that it is appropriate for us to rehome hens with you.
- Organising the rehome, eg in terms of numbers and destinations of hens.
- Contacting you both before and after the rehome and following up any issues or concerns that may arise.
- Maintaining records for our own statistical audit and review.
- Maintaining records required by DEFRA, Inland Revenue and other statutory bodies.
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In line with statutory obligations, there are some circumstances where we may need to disclose to DEFRA the details of where hens have been rehomed – this may particularly arise in the event of any concerns over the birds welfare or health, particularly any communicable disease.
Separately from this, any person keeping 50 or more poultry (including flocks of mixed breeds) is required to register their flock with DEFRA. (Other poultry owners are encouraged to register on a voluntary basis). Registration is free and can be done online.
Have a different question and can’t find the answer you’re looking for?
Reach out to our team by sending us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Who are Fresh Start For Hens?
We're a volunteer run non-profit that loves hens and wants to make their lives better.
Back in 2008, we started out as Hen Rehomers UK, but since then we've grown a lot and changed our name.
Our passionate group consists of volunteers from different walks of life, all sharing a common goal - to improve the lives of hens
What we do
- Intervene. Typically, hens used by big companies for egg-laying face slaughter when they're about 72 weeks old, just because their egg production slows down a bit. Without our intervention, their fate would be to end up in cheap processed food, baby food, or even dog food.
- Rehome. We find loving homes for hens with individuals who want them as pets or companions. These hens have started new lives in various places, including city and town gardens, country gardens, allotments, schools, and residential care homes. You don’t need a huge garden to keep a few hens. They'll be happy with any additional freedom you can offer and will repay you with fun antics and possibly an egg or two.
- Advocate. We strongly advocate for the ethical treatment of hens. We encourage people to buy eggs from free-range hens, those that have space to move around outdoors, or better yet, to keep their own hens.
- Educate. We speak to the public about the realities of life for hens. Many people may not know that the hens laying their breakfast eggs live in cramped cages known as enriched colony cages, an updated version of the old-style battery cages.
How we work
Fresh Start for Hens operates through a multi-tiered, dedicated volunteer structure.
At the helm of our operations is our invaluable Admin Team (RATs). They're the brains behind our mission, managing all rehoming dates, liaising with farmers, organizing rehomers, processing applications, verifying donations, and orchestrating van routes and numbers. Their tireless efforts ensure everything runs like clockwork.
Then, we have our heroic Farm Team and Drivers, who often give up their entire weekends for our cause. Some even drive the night before to the farms, starting in the very early hours to help catch hens. They then embark on extensive drives, sometimes for hours on end, to transport the hens from remote farms in places like Penzance, Cornwall to new homes as far away as Newcastle, Tyne and Wear.
Lastly, but by no means least, our Collection Point (CP) Coordinators open their homes to individuals coming to pick up their hens. These dedicated volunteers play a vital role and are the bridge between us and you; They organise the times for you to collect your hens, answer all of your questions and also have keen eye, identifying hens that are unwell or need extra care, ensuring they get the attention they need.
Looking Ahead
Fresh Start for Hens' existence hinges on our incredible volunteers. As long as there are hens in need of our help, we're committed to finding them new homes and raising awareness about their living conditions.
While we maintain good relationships with other animal rehoming groups, we proudly remain an independent organization. We believe every hen's life is valuable, and we strive to ensure they find safe, secure, loving homes where they can spend the rest of their natural lives as pets.
Contact Us
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