The amount of households wanting to rehome chickens surged during lockdown

A charity that rehomes chickens has seen an unprecedented surge in demand.

Fresh Start for Hens saves birds that have reached the end of their peak laying years that are facing the slaughterhouse.

However the charity saw a huge rise in demand for chickens at the start of lockdown.

The organisation has received requests to rehome more than 50,000 hens and now has a lengthy waiting list.

Operations director Jaki Hann told the BBC the huge demand was sparked by a shortage of eggs in shops in March.

She said: "We had to introduce a waiting list for the first time and so far we've had 9,480 people register, requesting a total of 52,106 hens.

"At the peak we were getting 4,000 inquiries a week."

With lockdown easing, Hann said she had seen examples of people regretting their decision to get chickens, with a handful taking extreme measures.

"We have heard of people saying they will leave the coop door open and let a fox take care of the hens, which is just shocking," she said.

"It's a terrifying way to die and needless. We always take the hens back if people ask."