Need to find chicken-lovers in St. Louis (and MO in-general)!

[SavingHens]

UPDATE: There will be NO PAYMENT WHATSOEVER necessary to adopt any hens.

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the site and not sure exactly which forum my post fits best, so I will give it a try here.

I was recently interviewed about my story, and it aired on our local news. The video can be found here: http://fox2now.com/2017/04/14/chicken-crusade-st-louis-woman-wants-to-save-farm-fowl/

"Saving the chickens" has always been a goal that is near-and-dear to my heart. So I started doing research to find a group in my area (St. Louis, Missouri) that works with factory egg farms to save battery hens as they're about to be "retired" (aka: killed). Approximately 300 MILLION hens are killed each year as a result of this practice. Such a waste...

Unfortunately, my search revealed there are no such groups anywhere nearby. There are some smaller groups on the coasts and up north. The biggest players in this game seem to be in the UK and Australia, where adopting battery-hens is a common practice. Farmers actually reach out to hen-saving groups about taking their retirees. Amazingly, there are waiting-lists and loving homes ready with open arms!

After finding out there were no groups nearby, my heart dropped. But instead of giving up, I decided to look for farms in the state and call around until I found one that would work with me. It was tough, but I finally found a place willing to allow adoption of their soon-to-be retired hens. So now my goal is to spread the word as far and wide as I can in an effort to find people who want to adopt them. I'm truly hoping for a good deal of interest so a large number will be saved. After living crammed in a small cage their entire lives, it would be the first time they ever saw sunlight, stretched their wings, felt the earth beneath their feet, and could move around freely. Just think how great it would be to get something started here in the Midwest...

About the hens I'm trying to rescue:

There are both brown and white hens (meaning brown and white egg-layers). They'll be approximately a year-and-a-half to two-years-old when retired -- sometimes younger. They will still be able to lay eggs, as hens can lay for up to 5 - 7 years of age -- it just won't be the frequency it would be in the factory. The conditions there are manipulated in a way that causes them to lay more often than normal. Some of them won't be the prettiest birds at first and will look a bit rough due to where they've been. But over time their feathers (and possibly beaks) grow back, their color returns, and their beauty will shine! They also tend to have very sweet and loving personalities...almost as if they're showing you they understand what you've done for them. When properly cared for, chickens can live up to 10 years, in some cases longer.

So, if I can, I'd like to encourage my fellow chicken enthusiasts to reach out and share this information with anyone you know who might be interested. If you yourself are interested, or would like to talk to me about this in more detail, feel free to e-mail me at: [email protected].

Thanks to all in advance for your time and compassion!

 

[SueT]

Wow, what an endeavor!

 

[Louise Waffles]

Oh, LOVE this. If I had more coop space, I would take some hens....I'm so glad you're doing this!

 

[Tirzah15]

This is beyond wonderful - itd be great to form some sort of transport team of people in different states to help get them to welcoming homes that may be further out. I've read about what they do in the UK and have always been sad we don't do that here - i'm thrilled you're giving this a try. When I used to live in north Georgia I ended up taking in Tyson hens who would fall out of the transport trucks into the road - even though "broilers" don't typically have as long of a life span as other breeds, they were just like you mentioned about the retired egg birds - wonderful, sweet personalities, and seemingly appreciative of any kindness shown to them. Factory farm animals may be "designed" for production, but they still think and feel like any other animal, and its a beautiful thing to see some of them have a chance at a good life. Im all the way in Florida, but am happy to network / help in any way I can

 

[krowl]

This is amazing!! I love that you are doing this!!

 

[SavingHens]

Tirzah15,

That is so awesome you guys saved the broiler chickens! Agreed, they are also total sweethearts. I'm glad you gave them a much better life and the opportunity to be chickens! I know you're all the way in Florida, but if you happen to know anyone in the St. Louis, Missouri area who might be interested, send them my way.

 

[Louise Waffles]

@SavingHens Have you tried networking among the Cherokee Street people?

 

[SavingHens]

Louise Waffles,

No I haven't. I'm not 100% sure what you're referring to. But do tell me more! I know where Cherokee Street is, about some of the places there, and I've been to the area before. Are you talking about a group, the area, a business -- or something else altogether? Sorry I'm so clueless, lol!

 

[Louise Waffles]

Louise Waffles,

No I haven't.  I'm not 100% sure what you're referring to.  But do tell me more!  I know where Cherokee Street is, about some of the places there, and I've been to the area before.  Are you talking about a group, the area, a business -- or something else altogether?  Sorry I'm so clueless, lol!

Go to cherokeestreetnews.org, start there. I'm not that crazy about the antique district side, I think the other side of Jefferson is where it's at. I would talk to people in Foam and Fortune Teller, try at CAMP (they had a garden and kept chickens at one time, I don't know if they still do. CAMP would probably be your best starting point. There are lots of places you can post fliers, looking for interested people. There is also a company based in St Louis that rents chickens & coops (which seems not very kind to me) but maybe they would be interested in helping as well. I know Black Bear Bakery closed, and I don't know what happened to the people, but they had a food co-op going at some point, and someone on Cherokee will know someone who knows, and may be able to help. They were super community oriented, had a lot of vegan stuff on the menu, and used most if not all local produce.
On the end of Cherokee closest to Gravois, there is/was a pizza place owned by a guy named Wil. Bright geometric scheme. He used to work in that urban garden next to the ice cream place that was next to Black Bear Bakery, he may know some interested people.
I don't know what's there now, but it's where Cranky Yellow used to be, then it was Blank Space, but I think now they have some sort of community center, you could check that out as well.
I'm not sure who the alderman is for that ward, but you could look it up and get in touch with that person as well.
It's been a few years since I was there, and I'm not up to date on everything, but I hope this gives you an additional avenue to pursue.
I really would take on more chickens if I had more coop space, and I think that it's kind of something that would hold some people back who would otherwise love to get in on this. Not having a coop, not knowing how to build one, or not having the resources to do so. So...maybe there would be some way to help people get coops, donations, I get carried away. I see an army of Bob Vilas building coops in urban backyards to save the chickens.

 

[Louise Waffles]

You can also try Bayer's Garden Shop on Hampton, OK Hatchery in Kirkwood, and I *think* there's a new-ish garden center on Cherokee. They may be willing to put up fliers, post on Facebook, or help you network with more chicken people. Good luck!