New Beginnings for “Old” Hens

A couple weeks ago, I posted a little bit about the 45 hens rescued from a cage-free operation.

Late last week, ten were released into the sanctuary’s main population. They will become ambassadors for chickens in the egg laying industry. The remaining hens will be placed into permanent homes. I was egregiously excited to watch them explore their new home. This would be a day of firsts for them.

It was the first time these hens saw the actual sunlight! It was the first time they walked on grass! Oh, how miraculous it seemed to them. They batted it down, traipsed through it, and best of all, gorged themselves on the long blades of greenery. My favorite montage involves the following three photos. The hen looks down and notices the strange, cushy items she is walking on. Hmm. Is it edible? Yes! (You can click on each photo for a larger version).

My favorite is the last one – she is too cool, that one.

It was also the first time they met roosters. A couple were rather rude, although the hens handled them with as much dignity as one can.  The lowest ranking hen investigated the new birds, pecked one on the head and was quite pleased to discover SHE could be the top hen in the new group! We didn’t expect everyone to be nice, of course, so we were content with a few minor squabbles. The new hens settled in quickly and while they are appalled at the flurry of activity during produce tossing time, they LOVE that there is always food available.

The hens are still learning how to perch and that they don’t need to spend the night outside in the dust-bathing box – they can come inside with the rest of the birds! So far, nine of the ten have figured that out, and we keep picking up the remaining one and placing her gently next to the others.  They look like they’re on sentry duty, all in a row beneath the perches. We hope they figure out the perches soon. If not, we’ll help, placing each one on the lowest perch. It’s the least we can offer after 2 years of sensory deprivation.

They are lucky and hopefully, their luck, will transform people’s dietary choices for years to come. I can opine on the horrors of the egg-laying industry all I want, but until a person meets a sweet, clearly intelligent chicken with 1/2 her beak missing … well, it does not become real. Sanctuaries make it real.