Charity seeks happy homes in Wicklow for rescued hens
A hen rescue charity is appealing to kind-hearted Wicklow residents to provide caring homes for caged hens that are otherwise facing slaughter.
Over three weekends in October, volunteers from LittleHill Animal Rescue and Sanctuary will bring hundreds of rescued chickens to various towns across the county for adoption and would love to hear from anyone who can provide a loving home for them.
On commercial egg farms, hens are kept until they reach about 15–18 months of age, at which point their egg-laying decreases slightly. This small reduction in eggs means that the birds are no longer profitable, so they are culled at this relatively young age to make way for a new flock.
To save these unfortunate creatures from an untimely demise, LittleHill Animal Rescue and Sanctuary steps in and rescues hens from a number of Irish egg farms.
Before collecting the hens, the charity first needs to secure new homes for them, where they can experience long and carefree lives, outside the confines of factory farm cages.
‘I had read a lot about how badly commercial hens were treated, so we decided to rescue some to give them a happy life,’ said Barbara Gunn, a hen adopter based near Kilbride. ‘We planned on getting four but came away with six – I wish our coop was bigger, as I would love to save more!’
‘We have had our girls for 17 months now, and most days we get four delicious eggs from six hens,’ she continued, adding Indeed, many adopters report that their hens soon become much-loved family pets.
‘They are funny, clever and follow you around like a little dog,’ said Bebe Redmond, who keeps hens at her home in Arklow. ‘I have two girls – Gladys and Primrose. They are six years old now and still run around like young chickens!’
Barbara told this newspaper how rewarding it was to see her hens transform from pale, scrawny, anxious creatures into beautiful, confident and happy birds. ‘To see them develop from the poorly looking, featherless little creatures into happy, healthy hens is so rewarding,’ she said. ‘To think of the lives they had before and to look at them now is amazing.’
To acquire some hens this month, the charity is asking prospective adopters to send a private message to their Facebook page, ‘LittleHill Animal Rescue & Sanctuary’, stating the pick-up town, date and the number of hens they would like to collect. Those without a Facebook page can book through a friend or relative’s account.
To cover the expenses associated with these rescue efforts, the charity asks for an adoption fee of €6 per hen.
There are plenty of stops to choose from in County Wicklow, including Bray on October 12, Baltinglass and Blessington on October 13, Arklow and Greystones on October 19, Blessington again on October 20, and Bray and Wicklow town on October 26.
Before the hens arrive, Bebe and Barbara explained that you need a hen house or shed that can be locked at night to keep them safe from predators, and a secure outdoor area for them to roam around in during the day.
‘I bought my coop from Farm Fowl based in Wicklow – I paid €130 and it was delivered the next day,’ said Bebe, adding: ‘adopt a hen or three, because you’ll never know the enjoyment until you have a hen in your life!’