 As interest in poultry keeping continues to grow, the re-homing of ex-battery hens has become hugely popular. Families everywhere are enjoying watching these birds rescued from slaughter flourish in their retirement homes, and these (sometimes odd looking!) birds look set to stay in the spotlight.
 The Battery Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) was established in April 2005 and is the UK's only registered charity for caged laying hens. They work tirelessly to raise awareness of the 18 million hens currently kept in cages in the UK. So far over 120,000 birds have been rescued from slaughter and given the opportunity to enjoy a free-range retirement. Most go on to become much-loved family pets and their success has resulted in hen keeping becoming the UK's number one hobby.
As well as expanding their re-homing work the main aim of the BHWT is to diminish consumer demand for battery eggs whilst at the same time promoting British farmers using welfare friendly systems. Whilst many consumers would not purchase battery eggs on welfare grounds, many every day processed food products containing battery hen eggs are frequently bought without a second thought. The BHWT encourages consumers to purchase products containing only British Free Range and Organic eggs, thereby permanently taking a hen out of her cage. The hens re-homed by the BHWT are fantastic ambassadors, frequently inspiring people to buy high welfare friendly products.
Organising hen collections all over the country with a team of Regional Co-ordinators, the BHWT are dealing with a huge number of re-homers every week, many of whom may be first time poultry keepers. The BHWT works with all re-homers to educate them in the correct care and management of ex-battery hens.
The Smallholder Range is a leading animal feed company producing top quality, natural feeds for poultry and other animals. Over the past year the Smallholder Range has been working with the BHWT to develop a simple, feeding solution to meet the needs of these special birds. The Ex-Bats Range is the result of a growing demand for a feed specially formulated for ex-bats combined with the technical expertise and poultry knowledge of the Smallholder Range.
The Ex-Bats Range provides top quality nutrition for your hens when they need it most. The unique blend of ingredients promote weight gain and feather growth and have been specially designed to meet the nutritional needs of the ex-battery hen.
Increased levels of high quality protein help to promote the growth of strong, healthy feathers. Boosted vitamin and mineral levels ensure that your hens are receiving everything that they need. In particular elevated levels of Calcium and Vitamin E guard against brittle bones and help the body to recover from life as a commercial egg layer. Omega 3 sources are included to provide essential fatty acids which are vital to the health of the hen and assist in ensuring healthy joints, plumage and eggs.
Special blends of herbs aid circulation, weight gain and help the hens' own defences to fight infection. The inclusion of Protexin encourages a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut to aid digestion and the immune system, which may be particularly helpful at times of stress.
The Ex-Bats range comes in the form of crumbs and pellets and is ideal to feed to your ex-battery hens throughout their lives.
Every Little Helps...
 As a registered charity the BHWT, rely on donations to fund their re-homing programme and all their educational campaigns, on top of all their day-to-day administration costs. The Smallholder Range are supporting the BHWT to continue their fantastic work by donating 50p from every 20kg bag of the Ex-Bats Range sold and 20p from every 5kg bag. Ben Page, Managing Director of Allen & Page, who produce the Smallholder Range, is delighted that such a fantastic product also allows people the chance to give something back to the charity, long term,
"Producing the Ex-Bats Range really has been such an exciting project for us. Working alongside the BHWT, we have developed a feed specifically designed for the increased nutritional needs of ex-battery hens, and are absolutely thrilled with the results. This feed has so many benefits; it provides these hens with everything they need, and the customers can continue to support the BHWT, as every bag sold results in a donation back to the charity."
The BHWT Careline is another example of these two organisations working side by side to promote the welfare of ex-battery hens. This new initiative is being launched on the 16th February offering a national helpline service regarding any queries relating to the health, nutrition or care of ex-battery hens, no matter how trivial the question. The line will give re-homers old and new direct access to a team of experts who are on hand with advice and information covering all aspects of keeping ex-battery hens. The Smallholder Range Nutritional Team has been working closely with the BHWT to provide comprehensive and easy to understand information, all delivered in a helpful and friendly manner!
Jane Howorth, Founder of the Battery Hen Welfare Trust says:
"I'm absolutely thrilled that the Battery Hen Welfare Trust is working with as prestigious a company as Allen & Page. I've been thoroughly impressed with the nutritional benefits of the feed and am confident that Allen & Page will be offering a first class service to our re-homers on the new BHWT Careline. It's a winning formula in my view."
If you have any queries regarding the care or feeding of your ex-battery hens, or to find your nearest stockist of the Ex-Bats Range, then you can contact the new BHWT Careline on 01362 822904 or email
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. For further information on the Ex-Bats Range please visit www.smallholderfeed.co.uk.
If you are interested in re-homing battery hens or wish to find out more about the Battery Hen Welfare Trust please visit www.bhwt.org.uk
Case Study - From Bald to Beautiful...
"When Annabelle arrived in April she was seriously underweight and virtually featherless. By July there were no signs of improvement so I switched her to Ex-Bat Crumbs and Pellets. It took a little time for her to get used to the feed, but now she loves it, has plumped up perfectly and has a set of feathers that could win prizes! I am so impressed with this new feed."
Jane Howorth, Founder Battery Hen Welfare Trust
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Keeping Chickens