Adopting ex-battery hens is one of the most rewarding things you can do. These remarkable birds have spent their lives confined to cages, unable to stretch their wings, feel the sun or scratch in the dirt. Giving them a home means watching them discover grass, dust baths, sunshine and freedom for the very first time, and it is a joy unlike any other.
A note about NSW Hen Rescue: At this time we are focused on sanctuary and advocacy rather than rehoming, so we are not currently placing hens into new homes ourselves. We know how much love people have to give, so we have put together this directory of other wonderful rescues across Australia and beyond who can help you adopt.
New to caring for rescued hens? Not every rescue provides guidance on caring for ex-battery hens, and their needs are a little different to hens who have never been caged. We have written a free guide covering everything you need to know, from housing and food to health, rehabilitation and helping them settle in. Download our free guide: How to Care for Rescued Hens →
Australia
In addition to the rescues listed here, it’s always worth checking PetRescue.com.au, which aggregates chicken and hen listings from many animal rescues across the country. It’s also worth contacting your local RSPCA or Animal Welfare League (AWL) shelter, as they sometimes take in surrendered backyard hens who need a new home. For people in Tasmania, the ACT or Northern Territory, we have not yet found dedicated hen rehoming groups, so PetRescue.com.au and your local RSPCA are likely to be your best starting points.
New South Wales
- Let the Ladies Go: based in Mandalong on the Central Coast with foster carers dotted around NSW. Rescues and rehomes hens from caged, barn and free-range egg farms. Phone: 0415 258 915.
- Who Gives a Cluck: Northern Rivers-based rescue with Hen Hospitals in Mullumbimby, running adoption days from the Sunshine Coast (QLD) down through Brisbane, Mullumbimby, Lismore and Grafton. Phone: 0428 335 766.
- Stevie’s Place Animal Rescue: Forster on the Mid North Coast. Rehomes factory-farmed hens to pet homes and is affiliated with Let the Ladies Go.
- Feathers & Fur Rescue: Hunter region rescue based in Cessnock, taking in hens and other animals. Phone: 0404 827 293. Email: faf.rescue@petlover.com.
Queensland
- Red’s Rescues: Brisbane-based rescue for hens and roosters.
- Brisbane Hen Rescue: Brisbane-based rescue that accepts unwanted hens, rehabilitates them and finds them loving homes.
- Happily Heifer After: Fraser Coast sanctuary with an active hen rehoming program and on-site hen hospital. Adoption fee $15 per hen. Email: admin@happilyheiferafter.org.
- ‘Til The Cows Come Home Hen Rescue: runs regular Rescue Hen Adoption Days around Queensland and rehomes nationally. Phone: 1800 281 647.
- Emma’s Chooks: based in Gladstone, QLD. Also on Facebook.
- Rooster Rescue NQ: Townsville-based rooster rescue covering North Queensland.
Western Australia
- Hills Hens Rescue and Rehome: Perth Hills-based hen rescue. Phone: 0403 815 496.
- Battery Angels Mundijong: community group in Mundijong, south of Perth, rescuing ex-battery hens in WA.
Victoria
- Strong Hearts Farm Sanctuary: based in Warragul in West Gippsland. Has a constant revolving door of 18-month-old ex-commercial layer hens surrendered by farms. Adopters need a predator-proof enclosure and a flock of no less than three. Also on Facebook.
- Edgar’s Mission: well-known Victorian sanctuary that rehomes rescued hens when they are available. They also run a separate Farm Animal Adoption Friends Facebook group connecting people who need to rehome animals with adopters.
- Lefty’s Place Farm Sanctuary: Macedon Ranges sanctuary (near Lancefield) that rehomes rescued hens. Adopters must commit to a minimum of two hens for companionship and provide a secure, fox-proof enclosure.
- Henny Pennies, Chicken Rescue Victoria: volunteer-run chicken rescue rehoming hens across Victoria.
- Melbourne Chicken Refuge: based on Phillip Island in Gippsland, rescuing and rehoming chickens who escape during off-loading at abattoirs, as well as other chickens in need.
- Dreamer’s Hen Rescue: Melbourne-based rescue saving hens from abattoirs and farms.
- Rooster Warriors: Cranbourne-based Victorian rooster rescue.
South Australia
- Furever Farm Animal Sanctuary: charity sanctuary and rehoming farm in Rockleigh (near Murray Bridge) with hens and roosters regularly available for adoption. Phone: 0434 842 621.
United Kingdom
National (England & Wales)
- British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT): the UK’s largest ex-battery hen rehoming charity, with over 40 adoption sites across England and Wales. They have rehomed nearly a million hens since 2005.
- Fresh Start for Hens: national network of volunteer co-ordinators rehoming ex-commercial hens across England and Wales, with Welsh drop-off points including Boncath, Cwmbran, Flintshire, Shirenewton, Swansea and Trelech.
Scotland
- Wing and a Prayer Hen Rescue: registered Scottish charity based in Haddington, East Lothian, rescuing hens from commercial farms every 4-6 weeks with multiple rehoming points across Scotland. Also on Facebook.
- Homes4Hens Rescue CIC: non-profit in Dumfries rescuing ex-commercial laying hens with collection points in Falkirk, Dumfries, Galashiels, Ayr, Cumbria and Newcastle.
Northern Ireland
- Nut House Hen Rescue (Northern Ireland Battery Hen Rescue): registered charity in Moira, Craigavon, rescuing ex-commercial hens at point of slaughter. Has rehomed over 11,000 hens in ten years. Phone: 07973 270133.
England (regional)
- Free At Last: Bedfordshire-based Facebook group coordinating rescues of ex-commercial hens.
- Huntingdon Fresh Start for Hens: based in Ellington, near Huntingdon (Cambridgeshire). Local chapter of the Fresh Start network.
- Lucky Hens Rescue: based in Hindley, Wigan (Greater Manchester), north-west England.
- Brinsley Animal Rescue: Nottinghamshire charity rescuing ex-commercial hens alongside other animals. Adoption is by appointment and there’s a small £4 per hen contribution. Phone: 01773 712 999.
- Chicken Rescue UK: volunteer-run, not-for-profit based in Sandford, Wareham (Dorset) with networks across the UK sourcing hens from multiple farmers. Also on Facebook.
United States
- Farm Sanctuary, Farm Animal Adoption Network (FAAN): nationwide program connecting rescued farm animals, including hens, with loving homes across the US. Operates two main sanctuaries, in Watkins Glen, New York (Finger Lakes region) and Acton, California. In operation since 1986.
- Animal Place: one of the largest ex-battery hen rehoming operations in the US. Based on a 600-acre sanctuary in Grass Valley, California, with a 12-acre adoption centre in Petaluma. Since 2010 they have rescued and adopted out thousands of hens from egg farms.
- Hen Harbor: Santa Cruz, California. Non-profit founded in 2012, rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming unwanted roosters and hens, particularly from the factory farming industry.
- Chicken Run Rescue: based near Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 2001, the oldest urban chicken rescue in the US. Adoption-focused for companion chickens.
- Chicago Chicken Rescue: based in the Woodlawn neighbourhood of Chicago, Illinois. Rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes chickens, ducks, peafowl and roosters who have been neglected, abused or discarded.
- Heartwood Haven: 45-acre sanctuary in Roy, Washington State. Has rescued hundreds of former battery cage hens and places them with adopters.
- Happy Hen Animal Sanctuary: based in San Luis Obispo, California. Sanctuary with an active hen adoption program.
- Rooster Haus Rescue: based in Fall City, Washington State (about 40 minutes from Seattle). Rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes roosters and hens.
- The Chicken Rescue: based in Round Top, Texas. Pairs chickens, including ex-battery hens, with loving families.
New Zealand
- Franklin Farm Sanctuary: based in Pukekawa (Waikato region, south of Auckland). Carries out large-scale rescues of battery and free-range hens every few months, with the capacity to approve 1,000 to 2,000 homes per rescue. Donation-based adoption.
- The Animal Sanctuary: based in Matakana, north of Auckland, rescuing and rehoming hens from commercial egg farms. Now co-ordinates rescues through Franklin Farm Sanctuary.
- The New Zealand Hen Welfare Trust: national organisation rescuing commercially farmed hens scheduled for slaughter and rehoming them to safe homes.
Canada
Canadian ex-battery hen rehoming options are limited, but a great starting point is:
- Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary: family-run sanctuary in St Marys, South Western Ontario, operating since 1999. Every September they rescue battery hens from a local farm and place them with adopters. Watch their social media from late August to enquire. Also on Facebook.
Europe
Ireland
- Little Hill Animal Rescue & Sanctuary: based in Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare, rescuing commercial egg-laying hens scheduled for cull and rehoming them across Ireland. Operating since 2011.
Germany
- Rettet das Huhn e.V.: national German charity headquartered in Wolfsburg, operating through a network of 45 member associations across Germany. Rescues laying hens from farms just before slaughter and rehomes roughly 14,000 hens every year.
Netherlands & Belgium
- Red een Legkip: an initiative of Comité Dierennoodhulp operating in both the Netherlands and Belgium, rescuing laying hens before slaughter. Belgian headquarters in Lennik, Vlaams-Brabant; Dutch care facilities on Texel (De Cocksdorp) and in Dedemsvaart, Overijssel.
France
- Poule Pour Tous: based in Montbert, near Nantes in Loire-Atlantique. One of the largest hen rehoming operations in France, working with a network of over 500 breeders across the country and placing hens through adoption events offering hundreds of hens at a small donation each.
- Champs Libres Aux Poules (CLaP): based in Brugnens, Gers, in the Occitanie region of southern France. Rescues laying hens from around 40 farms in the region and holds rehoming days almost every month.
Before you adopt your hens, make sure you grab our free guide to caring for rescued hens, so you have everything you need to welcome them home and help them thrive.