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WHAT WE ARE NOT: A rescue, animal sanctuary, or re-homing resource for people looking to get rid of chickens.

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WHAT WE ARE: Hatched in 2016, Second-Hen'd is a 501(c)3 non-profit, all-volunteer organization that works to find loving, forever homes for ex-commercial egg-laying chickens – which we collectively refer to as "spent" hens. Our emphasis is helping those that come from caged systems, but in the future, our goal is to expand and work with ones from other backgrounds as well. Second-Hen’d only approves and works with dedicated adopters who agree not to use/sell the hens for meat or dump them when they stop laying.

 

Aside from re-homing "spent" hens, Second-Hen’d attends special events and farmer's markets in the area to highlight the therapeutic benefits associated with keeping chickens as pets (among other topics). PTSD, anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, and memory-loss are just some issues that have shown great improvement when taking care of these feathered friends. Like our founder (a disabled veteran battling PTSD/anxiety/depression), other veterans have an understanding and feeling of purpose when they can save a life and watch it flourish. They get it. Once their military service is over or compromised, they are no longer seen as valuable to the organization, so they are discarded.

 

"Spent" hens are most often between 1 to 2-years-old when disposed of because they're no longer considered productive assets in the egg industry. In the U.S. alone, approximately 300 million hens lose their lives each year as a result of this practice. If adopted, Second-Hen’d can give these hens a further, meaningful purpose. When properly cared for, chickens can live up to 10 years – sometimes longer! At first, "spent" hens are terrified of everything. However with time, patience, and love, these girls end up having very sweet and gentle personalities. They understand what you've done for them and reward you with their gratitude.

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In the UK re-homing "spent" hens is a common practice. By not resorting to negative smear-campaigns, a level of trust is established between hen re-homing organizations and egg farmers/companies. This leaves the latter comfortable enough to reach out about their retiring hens on a regular basis. And amazingly, these groups have wait-lists filled with devoted adopters eager to give the hens a new lease on life!

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Extremism turns people off and important points trying to be made are missed. That’s why Second-Hen'd makes it a priority to build strong, trusting relationships with whoever we choose to work with. We celebrate the positives associated with our efforts, never resort to extremism or negativity, and we remain respectful. Even though not everyone agrees on a chicken's worth, there's no reason we can't find common ground and work together. Our supporters are a diverse group of people who come from a number of different backgrounds. We refuse to shame others and we do our best to remain neutral when possible. Without hesitation we will clarify or comment on a matter if necessary, but we won’t debate on topics of contention. Putting others down isn’t productive, so why waste energy that could be more useful elsewhere? Instead we educate with facts, and trust that knowledge will lead to more compassionate choices.

 

Now we want to encourage fellow HENthusiasts to share our information with those you think might want to get involved. If you yourself are interested in either adoption or volunteering, feel free to contact us. To reiterate, we are an organization run by volunteers whose time is valuable and already stretched very thin – so serious inquiries only please.