Hens are really complex birds.

Their ancient ancestors used to live in the jungle and they’re very inquisitive and interesting animals. These days there are approximately 34 million egg laying hens in the UK of which about 17 million are kept in cages. The majority of the remaining hens live on Freedom Food approved free-range farms. Hens have the same needs whatever type of farming method is used - but only the barn, free-range and organic options are able to meet all the hens’ needs.

Here are some hen facts...

Hens can be quite competitive when it comes to food so farms need to make sure there is plenty of food and water spread out so there is no squabbling.

Among hen’s favourite things to do is dustbathing – they need a nice dry bedding material for this so they can get down and wriggle in the bedding, fluffing up their feathers to help keep them clean.

Foraging is really important – hens love to scratch and peck to forage for food whether under hedgerows, across a grassy field or inside in a nice sheltered barn. They’ll eat grains and seeds, grasses and insects or worms they might find in the ground.

Being up all night isn’t actually much fun – an active hen needs to rest properly too. That means having a long enough dark period during the night.

Keeping active helps hens to be happy and healthy – being bored can lead to aggression. So a great place like Hettie’s will have plenty of space, some perches, and maybe even sandpits outside. For free-range hens, trees, hedgerows and even farm trailers will provide shade and shelter to help the hens feel safe and encourages them to investigate their surroundings and use the range well.

What’s wrong with cages:

Battery cages are made out of wire mesh and can be stacked up to 9 tiers high. Although the barren battery cage will be banned throughout Europe from 2012, the so-called ‘enriched’ battery cage will still be allowed These cages typically house about 80 birds in each and still provide each bird with less usable space than the size of an A4 sheet. Enriched cages provide limited facilities for perching, nesting and scratching, but the RSPCA does not believe they provide for the full behavioural and physical needs of the birds. The birds can't move about freely, dustbathe or forage properly, easily move away from other birds or rest undisturbed, which can all lead to distress and frustration.