‘WITH LOVE AND CARE, THEIR FEATHERS GREW BACK’
Sarah Walker, 37, from Cornwall, was determined to teach her children to be kind to animals – so, three years ago, she adopted eight ex-battery hens.
Sarah, a teacher, says, “We’ve always been a family of animal lovers, so I started looking for animals to adopt. I discovered the British Hen Welfare Trust had a scheme to help rehome ex-battery hens and they were holding an event in Cornwall, where we live. I knew it would be a valuable experience for my daughter, Evie, eight, and her little brother James, five, and my husband, Sam, 37, was keen too.
“When we arrived at the barn, I burst into tears because the chickens were nervous and missing feathers. We adopted eight and took them to live in our semi-detached house, which had a good-sized garden. At first, they were too scared to explore. But within a week, they’d started to cluck and scratch about. Evie was delighted and checked on them every day before school, looking for eggs and feeding them. Soon, their feathers grew back and their personalities blossomed. They’re very low-maintenance and roam around freely. We just need to make sure to clean them out regularly, lock them in their coop at night and make sure that it’s fox and waterproof by covering it and using chicken wire. Chickens also grow extra feathers when it’s cold, so we don’t need to give them extra heat lamps.
“Now we’ve started selling their eggs to friends and family, and all proceeds go back to the British Hen Welfare Trust. Recently, we were in a supermarket when Evie saw someone with a box of caged eggs in their basket and she announced loudly, ‘Mummy, those people should come and meet my hens!’
“I rescued the chickens to help change their lives – but they’ve transformed ours, too!”
If you want to rehome some chickens, visit www.bhwt.org.uk/ rehome-some-hens