THE director of a Bromsgrove veterinary practice has proved herself to be an egg-cellent advocate for extending the lives of female chickens from the commercial egg production sector.

Rebekka Fiorani, practice director at Clent Hills Vets on the Kidderminster Road, has registered as a volunteer with Fresh Start for Hens.

The not for profit organisation is dedicated to re-homing hens once they are deemed no longer useful for commercial egg production.

Rebekka now hosts Bromsgrove’s first official collection point at her home in Upton Warren, where she looks after hens until a forever home can be found for them.

Hosting a collection point involves liaising with re-homers, receiving hens prior to re-homers arriving, settling them into a holding area, checking for health issues then meeting and greeting re-homers and ensuring hens are securely placed into their pet carriers, etc.

Laying hens are considered no longer commercially viable at the age of 72 weeks, when their egg production drops slightly.

Fresh Start for Hens works closely with British farmers to purchase these hens, re-homing them as pets or companion animals, so they can enjoy the rest of their natural lives.

These hens have found new homes in town, city and country gardens, allotments, schools and residential care homes.

The new owners are often rewarded with a small supply of fresh eggs as well as the entertaining antics of hens.

Rebekka said: “I have kept hens of my own for a while and when I heard about Fresh Start for Hens I was really keen to get involved. You don’t need a big garden and looking after them can be very rewarding. Chickens are quite intelligent and can interact in very affectionate ways if you look after them gently and properly.”

Reservations are now open for collecting hens in Bromsgrove on Saturdays March 7 and 28.

If you are interested in re-homing a hen in Bromsgrove visit freshstartforhens.co.uk/reserve-hens/.

A minimum donation of £2.50 per hen is requested.

If you already own chickens and are concerned about the wellbeing of one of the flock you can seek expert advice by calling or visiting Clent Hills Vets in Bromsgrove.