Hardly the ideal way to welcome four semi-plucked ex battery hens to the big wide world of Owl Wood.
We collected them from a farm on the far side of Lincolnshire. When we arrived there were some two hundred blonde and balding hens taking their first breaths of freedom in the bitterly cold yard of the farm. One of the assistants caught four hens for us, and as we put them into the cardboard boxes two characters immediately shone through.
The one who has most of her feathers is definitely a feisty one, she decided that she didn't want to be in the box and made to escape, I had to restrain her. The other one which came to our attention was plonked in the box and immediately fell flat on her face.. and stayed that way. Once we had assisted her to the upright position she was fine. Bewildered, confused, hen-pecked - she has a bald neck and few feathers.
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| The feisty one to the left, the confused one is to the right. |
It distresses me to see them looking like this, but they are in far better condition than the first batch we had, and they went on to enjoy several happy years with us.
These girls will soon settle in and get their cosy feather duvets to keep them warm.
Welcome to our little woodland, girls.
You are about to have the time of your lives.
You will be pampered and loved - and you will have your freedom to roam and do "hen things".
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