Rehoming Site Host
Could you be a Rehoming Site Host?
Once our hens are saved from slaughter, they go to a site where the rehoming day takes place and meet their new forever families. As a site host you’d provide the space for our rehoming days to go ahead – without that space, none of this is possible. So, if you have the right kind of premises, you could play a vital role in helping thousands of hens take the first steps of their adoption journey.
About the role
- Provision of site for members of the public to visit to collect their hens on a rehoming day (typically 10 days per year).
- Provision of stables or barns for holding of hens on the day.
- Provision of parking space for up to 10 cars.
- To positively represent the BHWT.
About you
- You have an appropriate location where you’re happy for members of the public to visit.
- You are happy to host the team prior to members of the public arriving.
- You are conversant with and supportive of the aims of the BHWT.
A day in the life of Trish, one of our Rehoming Site Hosts
The role of a Rehoming Site Host is pretty simple but so important, as the actual rehoming event is held on my property. I have hosted rehoming days for over three years now and I’ve never looked back.
The day before the rehoming I prepare everything: laying straw, filling the feeders and drinkers ready for the hen’s arrival.
As our property is difficult to find, my husband takes directional signs out to the surrounding areas so the adopters can find us.
In the morning I set up tea, coffee, and cake ready for the BHWT volunteers when they arrive; it’s important to make sure they are looked after. Any volunteers who are not collecting hens from the commercial farm arrive before the hens do, so we have a quick coffee meeting to decide who is doing what and discuss our expectations for the day.
Once the hens arrive it’s all hands on deck to get them unloaded and out of the crates as quickly as possible. We take time to assess whether they are all fit to be adopted and it also gives the hens time to eat, drink and rest before they go onto their new homes.
As the adopters start to arrive, we have strict rules in place for safe distancing to protect us and the adopters. Only one adopter is allowed to get out of their car while a BHWT volunteer takes their carrier to the area where the hens are kept. Volunteers will then catch the hens and give them a final check, clipping any overgrown toenails if needed. The hens are then put into carriers and taken to the adopter’s car. The next car is then called forward.
Each adopter is booked in and cross-checked as to how many hens they will be collecting; we then mark them off the list. As the day goes by, I keep a close eye on the list and call any adopters who are late. While we’re dealing with hens and adopters my husband takes the trailer into our yard and pressure washes the crates.
At the end we clean up the barn and pack away all the equipment. I always complete the paperwork the next day and because all donations are paid online it is easy to check how many hens we had and adopted out.
All the volunteers in our team are the most amazing people that we are honoured to know. They work so hard and always with a smile and we have a lot of laughs and fun during the day.
It is so satisfying to know that over the years we have saved thousands of hens from slaughter, and they are now living free-range lives in lovely homes.
