Finding Forever Homes

It is little known that the chickens that produce the eggs that you enjoy for breakfast, for baking and cooking are deemed not commercially viable at a mere 72 weeks of age.

It’s around then that their egg production naturally starts to slow down and farmers look to replace them with newer, younger chickens who will keep egg production rates up.

Commercial chickens are kept either in enriched cages, in barns or in free range systems. They are no longer kept in battery cages, but are still sometimes referred to as battery hens. See our blog post on commercial egg production for more information.

These 72 week old chickens are sent to slaughter to be used in a range of products including human and pet foods despite a potential to live from 5-10 years, their lives are cut short.

This is when Chicken Rescue UK steps in. We are a 100% volunteer run community interest company. We are associated with a number of farmers around the UK from which we purchase these hens in order to give them a new life with loving new owners.

Rescue chickens find their way to smallholdings, allotments, schools, homes in towns, cities and the countryside. You might not realise that chickens make great pets but they really do, and you get the added bonus of fresh, home produced eggs.

If you’d like to volunteer your time to help rescue and rehome ex-commercial laying chickens take a look at the join our CRU page.

If you’d like to give some rescued chickens a new home, fill out our reservation form.