A NATIONAL hen charity saved almost 6,000 hens from slaughter over the weekend – 240 of which were re-homed from its Boncath site at Clynfyw, in north Pembrokeshire.

The British Hen Welfare Trust is a national charity which helps re-home commercial laying hens destined for slaughter, and they can boast some pretty impressive stats.

Over just two days the charity has saved 5,800 hens – give or take a feather – from slaughter, with the hens going off to their new homes typically in pet-sized flocks of four to six hens on the same day they come out of their enriched cages.

This equates to individual 827 adoptions over the weekend at pop-up sites – including Clynfyw Care Farm at Boncath - that spring into action to help these wonderful little pets make the most of their new-found freedom.

This incredible feat involved dozens of volunteers from 15 regional teams going almost simultaneously to three farms, getting up at the crack of dawn and finishing late in the day, exhausted but elated that so many hens had been helped.

Jane Howorth MBE, charity founder, said: “I am in awe of the dedication of our volunteers around the country who make such a difference to so many hens.

“Likewise the team at Hen Central do a phenomenal job in ensuring that the logistics are all in place and the right hens get to the right homes at the right time. Everyone deserves a huge pat on the back for their efforts.”

The charity, which staunchly supports the British egg industry, is heading towards a grand total of hens re-homed of 650,000 with just another 10,000 before the target is met.

Jim Bowen, re-homing co-ordinator and manager at Clynfyw, said: “At Clynfyw we support people with learning disabilities and physical impairments, using nature as a therapeutic tool, so giving chickens a second chance fits our remit perfectly.

“Our re-homing team is a mixture of our visitors and residents at the care farm,”

The charity will be re-homing another 200 hens in Boncath on Sunday, July 15. To adopt your own girls visit www.bhwt.co.uk for more information or call 01884 860084.