We took in six rescued battery hens at the weekend, from a batch of 4000 obtained from disgusting set up in the locale. I've never been a fan of battery farming of any description, but seeing these poor little sods up close has brought it home just how appalling the conditions they endure really are. They generally live this "life" for around a year or so, and then, after their production drops to fewer than six eggs a week, off they go for slaughter, to end up in dog and baby food, or compost. Nice.
They are almost devoid of feathers, totally spooked by the new arrangements and are painfully thin; we've lost one overnight and currently have another one that is on its last legs, which we found lying outside the coop two days ago, near death and which was only revived by spending two hours tucked inside my fleece, another hour in the airing cupboard (we resisted the gas mark 4 option...) and being fed by pipette. Since then it's been up and down, brief flurries of life giving rise to optimism that it just might survive - hence being called Gloria - closely followed by it giving a very good impression of Cheyne-Stokes breathing and keeling over.
Barn hens are afforded slightly better living conditions, but the bar is set so low by the battery hens that it's all relative.
They may "only" be chickens, but there really is no justification for treating any animal in this fashion.
They are almost devoid of feathers, totally spooked by the new arrangements and are painfully thin; we've lost one overnight and currently have another one that is on its last legs, which we found lying outside the coop two days ago, near death and which was only revived by spending two hours tucked inside my fleece, another hour in the airing cupboard (we resisted the gas mark 4 option...) and being fed by pipette. Since then it's been up and down, brief flurries of life giving rise to optimism that it just might survive - hence being called Gloria - closely followed by it giving a very good impression of Cheyne-Stokes breathing and keeling over.
Barn hens are afforded slightly better living conditions, but the bar is set so low by the battery hens that it's all relative.
They may "only" be chickens, but there really is no justification for treating any animal in this fashion.