Hundreds of hens are coming to an Essex village in hopes to find new homes this weekend.

A national hen welfare charity is giving the county the chance to adopt ex-battery hens at a hen collection in Great Totham This Saturday (November 16).

The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) rehomes laying hens once they reach 18 months old and are no longer able to make a profit.

The charity collects the hens from farms and works with a network of volunteers to find suitable retirement homes for thousands of hens each year.

Bridget Irving, who rehomed Mrs Dee (pictured above) from Great Totham, said: “Mrs Dee and her two sisters arrived with missing quite a few feathers and with pale combs.

“They are now happy, busy girls with a fine set of lovely feathers! Here's Mrs Dee enjoying herself in the garden at the back of our house.”

The BHWT was founded in 2005 and has rehomed around 26,000 hens across Essex.

Jean Gill, Essex Co-ordinator, said: ““These hardworking little ladies will be coming out of their cages this weekend, so we really hope the Essex public get behind us and give as many of them homes as possible.”

Hen keeping is on the rise across the UK, with an estimated 1,000,000 households now having hens in their back garden.

Jane Howorth, Founder of the BHWT, said: “It comes as no surprise to us that hen keeping is becoming increasingly common as we know better than most what amazing pets they make.

“They’re intelligent, friendly and inquisitive, and soon find their way into people’s hearts.

“There’s something particularly special about rehoming ex-battery hens, as not only have you saved their lives, but you’ve given them the first chance to really experience what life is all about.

“It’s through that joint experience that gives us lucky people the chance to form special relationships with our hens.”

“These resilient pets may come out of their cages missing a few feathers, but they’ll soon be sporting a new set of fluffy bloomers and we think a warm cosy coop is the least they deserve after all their diligent egg laying.”

To book, register your details at www.bhwt.org.uk and then call Hen Central on 01884 860084.