U.K. charity rescues battery hens

Sunday, December 4, 2011

The United Kingdom's first registered charity for laying hens, founded in 2005, has "helped tens of thousands of hens enjoy a second chance in life rather than go from cage to slaughter." A more specific number is 250,000 hens. According to its website, The British Hen Welfare Trust receives an average donation of £3-4 per "ex-bat," so do the math.

Donations "fund our hen collections as well as our educational programme," says the charity, whose patrons include celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, actress Amanda Holder and the Duchess of Richmond, who has her own flock of rescued birds.

While the website is careful to say that British farmers work within the highest animal welfare standards in the world, it extols readers to "tell your family, friends and work colleagues they too can help take a battery hen out of her cage simply by selecting products that use eggs from welfare-friendly sources." BF