HEALTHIER HENS

After an extensive country selection process, Healthier Hens selected Kenya as the pilot country of operations. In March 2022, they hired a full-time Country Manager who has helped them connect with 35+ farms, 12 feed mills, 13 government officials and industry leaders, as well as scope 7 of 15 egg farming prevalent counties. They have also got 26 commercial feed samples tested. 

As they entered year 2 of their operations, the plan was to promote hen welfare knowledge, capacity and network through farmer workshops, outreach and veterinarian training. This endeavored to enable them to conduct a baseline assessment of keel bone fracture prevalence in Kenya to test the hypothesis that the issue is prevalent globally.

A calcium timing feeding trial, where the hens get most of their calcium needs in the evening, was conducted in partnership with Dr. Toscano and the University of Bern and has come to an end. The results were negative and not as expected. The findings are disseminated at animal welfare events and through publications.

As of March 2023, Healthier Hens downscaled and became a volunteer-led organization. This difficult decision was made due to the current fundraising landscape, and the belief that it will not change in the near future. This means that on-the-ground activities in Kenya were stopped until further notice. The main goals then included transparent reviews of their situation, finalizing farmer and intervention resources, fundraising and strategizing potential pivots for long-term impact.

In July 2023, Healthier Hens received an Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE) Movement Grant to conduct three mini-projects they hope will have lasting impact for the hens in East Africa.