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Last weekend saw WAW support Phoenix Hen Rescue UK help find ethical homes for around 1,500 rescue ex-barn hens due for the slaughterhouse.
100 starving hens, some with barely any feathers, saw their way to the WAW rehoming centre, ready to start their new life.
WAW volunteer, Jacquie Atherton said:
“We are so grateful to everyone who adopted a hen this weekend, giving these girls a second chance in life. Especially those who needed a little TLC.
“It was so heart-warming to see these lucky girl’s feel the sun on their skin for the first time. They way they just lay in the sun beam, like your pet cat or dog, they were so relaxed and blissful, most likely for the first time in their life.”
The hens have all gone off to their new homes to feel the grass under their feet for the first time and can behave naturally.
Shocking cruelty
Along with the female hens which are discarded as soon as they are not producing enough eggs at around 18-months, the egg industry also kills around 6 billion unwanted male chicks each year.
Eggs marked "cage-free", "free-range", and "organic" do not spare these day-old birds from getting shredded, crushed, or gassed to death.
You can find out more at https://genv.org/egg-farming/ (Warning upsetting images)
Please note, the rescue fully complied with Bird Flu restrictions, which were lifted on Tuesday 18 April 2023, more information at gov.uk.