THOUSANDS of hens are being spared slaughter but need homes to go to - and animal lovers in Wrexham are being given the chance to offer one.

The ex-commercial hens, currently sat in cages laying eggs for supermarkets, have been told to pack their bags because their lives are being saved.

They will soon be rescued from slaughter and re-homed by the British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) at various locations across the UK, with 500 up for adoption at a single event to be held in Wrexham on June 24,

The re-homing site is in Wrexham, and anyone interested in re-homing some of the hens need to register with the trust and they will be given directions to the centre beforehand.

Those keen to offer a home book the hens in advance and then turn up with their donations to the trust on the day.

Francesca Taffs, at the BHWT, said: “Sunbathing, dust bathing and checking out their new coop is first on the agenda, but these hens have also told us they want dogs, cats, rabbits and other furry creatures to share their freedom with.

"It’s a common misconception that hens won’t get along with other family pets, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

"In fact, we’ve known these ex-bats to become quite attached to cats, dogs and even llamas. So long as they know their place in the pecking order, everyone will get along just fine.”

The BHWT is re-homing 500 hens in Wrexham on Sunday, June 24.

To re-home your own birds and have fresh eggs delivered to your nest box simply register at www.bhwt.org.uk and then call 01884 860084 to complete your booking.

The BHWT charity was established in 2005 by Jane Howorth, and is Britain’s first registered charity for re-homing laying hens.

In the UK there are approximately 16 million hens kept in colony cages. The charity has so far found retirement homes for over 620,000 caged hens, all of which were destined for slaughter.