Adopt
This particular Hen’ is an advocacy program dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of formerly farmed hens. After adopting Amelia, Mairi and Monique, 3 hens who had lived their first 18months of life in an intensive battery cage factory farm being exploited for their eggs, we saw first hand the devastating condition these ladies arrived in, It simply wasn’t a life worth living and a fate nobody deserves. Allocated the industry standard space size of an A4 size piece of paper, Battery cage hens are crammed tightly into dirty wire cages and denied any opportunity to perform their instinctual behaviours, live in a safe natural environment, and are unable to form the complex social structures of a chicken flock.
They are not afforded any veterinary care when sick, injured or dying which is common given the conditions. At 18 months to 2 years old when their egg laying slows, they are what industry calls ‘depopulated’, which is when their entire shed is killed and replaced by younger hens.
After seeing the recovery, the 3 hens made in sanctuary, we couldn’t deny the impact we could have on each particular hen’s life. Their complex emotions and individuality became indisputable, all 3 had strikingly unique personalities, temperaments, likes and dislikes. We were inspired by their strength and ability to be brave and curious about this new life in front of them despite never having seen or experienced anything but the horrible conditions within the tiny, crowded cages in which they are held captive.
When it was announced in 2022 that Cage egg facilities would not be phased out before 2036 despite decades of advocacy and extensive undeniable evidence showing the inhumane conditions in all cage farms, we were deeply saddened and felt compelled to act, and so ‘This Particular Hen’ was born. Our goal is to provide these ladies the life they were born worthy off, one in which they can thrive and not simply survive and to share their stories in hope of creating a kinder world for Chickens.