The growth of people hatching their own hens at home has caused chaos for a hen adoption organisation left picking up the slack.
Lucky Hens is a Wigan-based non-profit organisation that rehome hens from the commercial egg production sector.
Over lockdown, the organisation saw an increased interest in hen adoption.
Lucky Hens Volunteer Clare Northall, 39, said: “At one point I think we had a waiting list of over 300 people.
“If you want a pet, then hens are brilliant.
“They’re really entertaining and funny.”
However, as lockdown saw an increased waiting list for adopting hens, it also saw increased popularity of hatching projects from people’s homes.
Northall expressed concerns about hatching projects – Lucky Hens stands strongly against the activity which results in a large number of unwanted cockerels.
These cockerels are being dumped on the streets, with an overwhelming number of requests for Lucky Hens to take in birds.
People have even called the organisation threatening to kill cockerels if Lucky Hens do not take them in.
This has been the biggest issue for Lucky Hens during the pandemic.
