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A charity is seeking new homes for thousands of unwanted hens which would otherwise be turned into dog food or cheap pies.

The organisations called Fresh Start For Hens is taking in the birds who face slaughter at the end of their commercial laying life.

And there are collection points for well-wishers to pick up their hens at Plymouth and Newton Abbot in Devon, and Taunton in Somerset.

Hens reach the end of their economic egg-laying life at the age of around 18 months.

But the birds continue to lay until they are around six or seven, and can live for more than a decade, reports Leicestershire Live .

Fresh Start For Hens is taking the unwanted birds and finding them new homes where they can enjoy their later life.

The organisation successfully rehomed 5,000 birds in March, but it still has 3,000 hens to give away and is about to receive another 6,000.

Anyone interested in offering a new home can find out more at the charity's website . They should register when the next release of birds becomes available.

A spokesman for the charity said: “Finding that number of homes at short notice is not easy.

“Fresh Start for Hens is a not-for-profit organisation, run entirely by volunteers who are dedicated to rehoming hens from the commercial egg production sector.

“Commercially, all laying hens are slaughtered at the age of 72-78 weeks, when their production drops slightly.

“Their carcasses are worth very little and are usually sold for dog food, baby food or cheap, processed pies and things.

“Fresh Start For Hens work closely with British farmers and purchases the hens from the caged, barn and free range systems, just before their slaughter date.

“They rehome hens to people wanting hens as pets or companion animals.

“Hens have begun their new lives in town, city and country gardens, allotments, schools and residential care homes.

“You don’t need to have a big garden to keep a few hens, they will be grateful for the additional years of freedom you can offer them and reward you with their entertaining antics and probably an egg or two.

"To this end, we do not rehome to people wishing sell them on or for further commercial purposes."