Flying the nest
Photographer janet holmes documents rescued chickens in their new homes.
Hi Janet! Tell us a bit about your background and personal
connection to animal rescue. I’m a lawyer and photographer. I recently moved back to Toronto, Canada after living in New York City for 10 years. I’ve always loved animals, but for many years I was afraid to get involved with rescuing them because I didn’t think I could handle the heartbreak that goes with the work. I was almost 50 when I finally acknowledged that animals needed me more than I needed to be comfortable. So, I started volunteering with animal rescue groups as a caregiver and/or photographer. Over time, I committed to becoming vegan and using photography to advocate for animal liberation.
What made you zone in on chickens for this project? In early 2017, I was volunteering as a caregiver at the Wild Bird Fund in New York, where I met a hen suffering severe and chronic reproductive illness. I learnt that her ailments were common for modern hens, whose bodies break down under the strain of laying hundreds of large eggs each year. (Their wild ancestors laid only 12 to 20 eggs once a year.) When she was no longer acutely ill, the hen needed a home where someone could pay for her regular (and expensive) veterinary care. I began contacting my friends at farm-animal sanctuaries, and they introduced me to an online network of people who rescue and care for chickens in their homes.
My experience with the hen made me think about how people have been taught it’s normal to exploit hens’ reproductive systems, and also how in many places, society continues to restrict the reproductive rights of humans with wombs. These parallels inspired me to make portraits of hens and the people who rescue them, to honour the bonds between them.
What kinds of experiences have these chickens had before
they end up in someone’s home? The chickens come from many different environments, including factory farms, backyard chicken coops, feed stores, streets, parks, boatyards, school hatching projects, illegal cockfighting rings and religious sacrifice rituals. My husband and I once took care of a young rooster we rescued from a high-rise apartment complex near a busy highway.
What kind of special care do they need once taken in? The hens often need reproductive healthcare because their bodies break down due to the strain of laying so many large eggs. Birth-control implants stop egg production for a while and give their bodies a chance to recover, but they often still suffer from infections, osteoporosis and high rates of reproductive cancers. Chickens that have been developed as ‘meat birds’ grow big very quickly. If they reach adulthood, they need healthy, low-calorie diets to keep their weight down and minimise the strain on their hearts, bones and joints. Chickens rescued from hellish environments are often traumatised, injured and ill. They may need emergency vet care to treat wounds, infections or parasites. They mightn’t have ever stepped on grass or experienced a kind touch, so they need time to learn how to feel safe, explore their environment and trust their human caregivers.
Tell us about the bonds you witnessed between the humans and birds. Although some chickens prefer chicken-only flock mates, I’ve met many who consider humans and other animals to be part of their family. They’ll seek affection from their family members and enjoy sitting or sleeping with them. They often like being stroked or held, and they’ll groom their flock mates (both human and non-human).
I was surprised to learn how much variation there is in the sounds chickens make, too. They speak to ‘their’ humans differently than they speak to a stranger like me, and they aren’t the least bit shy about letting the humans know if it’s time for breakfast, a walk in the garden or bed. My caregiver friends have also experienced love and the deep satisfaction of making a difference in individual lives.
There are some humorous images in your series! How hard was
it to work with the birds and get the pictures ‘right’? Chickens are wonderful subjects to photograph. Their bright, golden eyes rimmed in black catch the light beautifully and there are so many different variations in their feather patterns and colours. They also have different personalities – some didn’t want to be near me and my camera at all, so of course, I respected their wishes. Others were very comfortable in my presence.
Chickens are very curious and watchful, and often stand quite still when they see something interesting, so it was surprisingly easy to capture the images of chickens checking out who’s in the mirror, investigating the fridge or looking out the window. Sometimes they’d focus their attention on me and I had to stop photographing to indulge in some cuddles – or stop them from pecking my camera lens!
Is there a particular message or feeling you’re trying to portray?
My goal is to help people experience chickens as individuals – individuals who think and feel in ways that are similar to how humans and ‘traditional’ companion animals think and feel. If my portraits help people see chickens differently, they might be more open to learning how chickens and other farmed animals are exploited. I don’t expect people to go vegan overnight (I didn’t), and no one is perfect. But if my series motivates people to think about the choices they make every day and whether they’re aligned with their values, I’ll be happy.
Was there anything you struggled with while putting this series together? One of the greatest challenges was handling the dichotomy between the joy, beauty and humour reflected in many of the portraits and the unsettling stories that most of the chickens’ caregivers shared with me. These chickens are survivors, but there’s so much more to them than their past suffering. To do justice to these beautiful birds and their human guardians – who have worked so hard, loved so deeply and lost so much – I’ve created a book that combines the portraits with short memoirs from five of the rescuers.
What do you love about photographing animals? Discovering their ‘who-ness’, then taking portraits that reveal their individuality to others. I also love the experience of being with animals on their terms. I slow down – and often sit down – and hope they’ll be interested in spending time with me. I invite them to experience me through smell, sound, touch and even taste before and during our photo sessions. It’s amazing when I can feel them become comfortable in my presence. The gift of their trust is precious.
Where can we see more of your wonderful work? Online at janetholmesphoto.com or on Instagram at @janetholmes_photo. This series is in my photobook, Nest: Rescued Chickens at Home.