OUT of the goodness of her own heart, Debs Lehner rescues potential slaughterhouse chickens from across Wales in order to provide them with loving new homes as ethical pets.
Red Hen Rehoming, a registered charity in Wales, Shropshire and Suffolk, has been set with the urgent task of rehoming 300 72-week-old Warren hens this week who were recently rescued from slaughter. 150 of the hens are still available and in need of loving homes and will be available for adoption from collection point in Cowbridge, Llandovery and Pontypridd until next Saturday (aig 27).
Debs Lehner who founded the charity Red Hen Rehoming in October 2015 has provided loving homes for 1,200 chickens since the charity first opened its doors. Deb previously worked with a variety of other hen rescue charities; however, in recent months she has opted to go it alone as she feels the long hours that hens spend in transit with other charities is inhumane and unsettling to the hens.
Debs has built up a relationship with her local community of Welsh farmers in Llandovery and its surround areas and has begun a compassionate discourse with the agricultural community where she has expressed her desire to save hens from slaughter and rehome them as beloved family pets.
The farming community have been eager to get involved with her charity and, as such, she has been left with a large quantity of hens looking to find their forever homes.
At 72 weeks, commercially laying hens slow down their egg production to four eggs per week and, sadly, are no longer financially viable to commercial farmers.
Farmers then choose to sell these hens to slaughterhouses in order to make a profit. However, Debs offers these farmers a sum of money that is higher than that of slaughterhouses and then gives these chickens to loving homes for a small donation of £2.50, which covers transport and the living costs of hens. All the work at Red Hen Rehoming is done by volunteers who care for the chickens daily for free.
Debs believes that the hens she rescues would make invaluable pets and told The Herald: “The people that rehome the hens from us have got a great deal of pleasure from them and come back again and again for more hens in the future.”
Red Hen Rehoming are currently sending emails out to their regular chicken rehomers and the remaining hens can be reserved on their website – www.rhruk.org.uk/wales – where donations can also be made. Debs is also available for questions or adoption requests on 07794 432263.
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