Past appeals
Van Appeal Update November 2023
With the kindness of all our supporters we raised over £27,000! More than we hoped for, and we are right now in the throes of ensuring the very best way to provide comfort (ventilation and temperature control is key); we anticipate the purchase of our van if not by Christmas, then for sure in the early spring, ready to help thousands of hens in Scotland.
And it is you who has helped to make this a reality for our happy and enthusiastic Scotland teams. Thank you.
For this appeal we asked supporters to help us prevent the cost of living from costing the lives of hens in Christmas 2022. The crisis impacted the whole country, with millions feeling the affects.
As charity we felt the financial impact of rising costs of fuel for our vans, veterinary bills, and feed for rescued hens during this time, whilst simultaneously facing the issues that Avian Influenza brings; a disease that temporarily pauses our rehoming efforts and restricts our life-saving work going forward. Despite all these obstacles, our supporters came through and we couldn’t be more grateful that with their help we were able to continue rehoming hens.
We were beyond thankful when donors flocked together to raise much-needed funds to our free Hen Helpline service that we offer to hen keepers in need of assistance or reassurance about their flock’s health. At times, we are known to be a literal lifeline for some hens!
Thanks to the donations made by our incredible supporters, we are now creating an in-depth video catalogue on the twelve key hen health topics we get asked about most, offering Suitably Qualified Persons training to more of our staff on hen health and working to improve our resources to allow our Hen Helpline to have an even greater impact to hens all over the world.
Sometimes during rehoming weekends, our teams encounter hens who require a little extra TLC. These hens cannot be rehomed straight away due to their health issues but, given the right level of care and attention, can make full recoveries and find forever homes.
Our voluntary poorly hen carers are located across our 46 rehoming points and required specialist supplies to aid in nursing the hens back to full health.
The generosity of our donors to our poorly hen appeal in Christmas 2021 meant we could start supplying our carers all over the country with vital equipment, such as runs and heat lamps as well as helping to fulfil their veterinary fees.
Do you donate monthly to us? There’s a reason why we call you our everyday hen heroes! With your help we are able to save over 60,000 hens from slaughter annually. Such support enabled ground-breaking research to help veterinary professionals better understand how to treat pet hens and supported our dedicated Hen Helpline to help and advise hen-keepers nationwide.
We were also able to influence and educate consumers as to how the choices they make at the supermarkets directly impact hens’ lives.
Choosing to give a little per month went such a long way and continues to touch the lives of hens worldwide.
Christmas 2020: multiple projects
The charity faced unprecedented times in 2020, suffering from COVID-19 and the affects of Avian Influenza, all of which severely affected hen rehoming and put a huge strain on charity resources. We wanted to give our donors the choice to support three innovative projects – Hens as Therapy, Hen Welfare Awareness and Improving Pet Hen Health.
Working to provide support for those who find comfort in keeping hens, striving for better welfare for hens worldwide and being able to provide life-saving resources for hens and their keepers are core pillars of the charity’s work and something that was only sustainable with the support from our donors.
Without your help, we couldn’t continue to help thousands of hens every year.
Like all pets, hens can become unwell, but unlike other pets, hen health information and advice can be harder to come by. Our appeal in May 2020 sought to provide a vital, and often literal lifeline, to hens and their owners who had health or behavioural concerns over their flock.
Donations for our appeal enabled us to keep providing our Hen Helpline to support hens from all backgrounds with knowledge from our Suitably Qualified Person on the team.
We were also really grateful to our friends at Allen & Page who very kindly agreed to match every donation up to a total of £1,000.
From your support we will continue offering free guidance to hen keepers worried about hens not eating, being bullied, struggling with red mites or to simply be there to offer a friendly ear when needed.
february 2020: van appeal
It’s a common saying to never take anything in life for granted and the charity certainly felt the truth of this in 2020 when our trusty Devon van broke down.
Having transported upwards of 10,000 hens a year to rehoming points across the South of the country across the years our teams faced a worrying future without it. What’s more, 6,400 hens were waiting at a farm to be rehomed, now with an uncertain future, unless a new van could be secured.
Flocking together in a last-minute, desperate appeal to save lives both imminent and future, our supporters saved the day and we were able to buy a van with their donations.
From small beginnings to bright futures, we have always had ambitious dreams in the plight of commercial laying hens.
Since 2016 the charity has sought funding to build the UK’s first flagship welfare and education centre for hens. The centre will help to re-home thousands of ex-commercial hens going forward, as well as provide educational spaces for businesses, schools and vets about how they can help to make a difference to hen welfare, as well as a surgery for veterinary practice and education on hen health. We dream big here!
With support from donors across a number of fundraising projects over the years, that dream is now a reality and the charity is excited to be able to open the centre later in 2023.
