Rescued hens settling in

Several weeks ago, we received a call from a local shelter. They had confiscated twenty-five hens from a small educational farm. The farm receives complaints every year. In exchange for avoiding charges, the owner signed over 25 hens. Business as usual in the world of farmed animal prosecution - it just does not happen all that often.

Ten of the hens were in pretty bad shape with significant feather loss. The location of the feather loss indicates that the farm has too many roosters for their hen population. The hens are a variety of different breeds and have been moved into a special-needs enclosure until they are healthy enough to be with the rest of the birds, including our resident roosters. We maintain a healthy rooster:hen ratio which helps avoid fighting amongst roosters and overmounting.

In addition to taking in the ten hens, we agreed to take in one adorable polish crested hen with a split beak. We hope when she is released into the main group, she will fall totally in love with Diablo. I have named her Anastasia which may or may not be approved by the rest of the staff.

Some more photos: