Good news for hens

It’s now (from 1st Janauary 2012) illegal throughout Europe to keep hens in battery cages.  About time too.   So this is good news isn’t it?   Well, sort of.   Although farmers in the U.K. are prepared for this it doesn’t mean to say that hens are kept naturally.    They are social creatures and need freedom and to live a natural outdoor life.   Too many hens will still be factory farmed and kept indoors for their brief lives, although not in the same cramped and cruel cages.   Even worse is the fact that european producers are not ready for the change, it’s estimated that as many as 84 million hens will still be in batteries and farmed below even minimum standards.

Please check the source of any eggs you buy.  If nobody bought the battery produced eggs then the cruelty would end.    What sort of eggs are in the cakes and ready made food products we buy?  Powdered or liquid most likely.     If you buy ready meals please make sure the eggs in them are from British eggs or from hens who have definitely not been factory farmed and kept in battery cages.

It’s hard to understand why anyone would want to buy factory made food that contains ingredients that are so altered and have come from so far away – such is the power of mass marketing and advertising hype!    Hens are easy to keep and rewarding and intelligent animal friends.   They lay eggs whether a cockerel is with them or not.  If you need any advice on poultry keeping please get in touch.   We aim to rescue more commercial hens this year so we’ll let everyone know when they are available.    A hen can’t brood and hatch all of the eggs she lays, in return for feeding and caring for her, we have the surplus eggs.  When the poor hens are factory farmed they have a miserable existence and have their lives taken as well.

Free range  only please.