SavingHens
In the Brooder
UPDATE: There will be NO PAYMENT WHATSOEVER necessary to adopt any hens.
Hi everyone!
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!
Hi everyone!
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!
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