Selfsufficientish.com

I've had contact today with a lovely lady who finds herself with a massive number of battery hens to re-home (about 7000!) I've told her about this site and so hopefully she will post the details here. Hope you don't mind and that some of you may be able to help.

Where is she? We may be able to offer a home to a couple is it's close enough. I know it's not much - but every little helps

I don't think anyone minds you posting this or telling that lady about this site! I only hope a few people can help out!

She's in North London, so the birds will be taken to various locations there. The birds themselves are currently in Lincolnshire so could probably be collected there on the day. I'm in Yorkshire so am hoping to pick up half a dozen from the farm on the rescue day and I'm prepared to bring back more for anyone who would find it easier to collect from me.

if your ever going right out of your way and come passed the wirral I`ll have a couple

I'll post this link again for the battery hens welfare trust in case anyone missed it
http://www.bhwt.org.uk/index.php

Is there a simular organization in the US?

Bluemoon - I'm definitely interested. I'm in Nottingham but have family in Sheffield. Please get in touch!

Many thanks

Ratty

Hi, Ratty. Unfortunately the farmer, who had originally said that the birds would be available in 6 - 8 weeks is now clearing out the unit on Tuesday or Wednesday next week. This makes it impossible for me as I simply don't have housing ready to a standard that my local allotments officer would accept and a couple of days is simply not enough time for me to sort it out. I already have 6 RIRs on one plot and would have to keep the ex-batts on another one. There's going to be another rescue in July and again in September, so I'm hoping to take some from the July one. I'd still be prepared to fetch a few birds for someone else then (actually, ratty I could drop them off to you en route home) If anyone can help with this coming rescue or any of the later ones contact Carly direct at carly@northlondonhenrescue.org.uk. Hens can be collected from London, Harrogate, Bishops Stortford, Spalding and Hampshire and may be able to be kept at these locations for you until next weekend.

Thats damn unreasonable of the farmer! But nothing surprises me!

Please do keep me in mind for the July release, it will also give me more time to clean out & build a better coop for them. You can PM or email me.

Many thanks

Ratty

Hi again Ratty, my edit above crossed your last post. Yes I'd be more than willing to bring a few extra up in July. I'll let you know details later.

Thats lovely of you. Thanks so much. I have family on the outskirts of Sheffield (just off J31 of M1) and we're just off J26 of M1 (Nottingham) so hopefully we'll be able to sort out a good collection point. I think I'll be after 4-6 hens, I have been told by various sources that I'm only to expect a 50% survival rate of rescued girls but if I'm wrong/lucky then we will still have the space for them.

Ratty

Ellendra wrote:Is there a simular organization in the US?

I've heard said that in the U.S farmers are quite happy to hand over a few birds to individuals when they clear out their units, you just have to phone the farmer concerned and ask. I don't know what the situation is like there, but here farmers are a bit cagey (sorry, unintentional and awful pun) due to animal activists, so they tend to keep very quiet about it all and only allow birds to go the trusted organisations or individuals who are known to them. It must be said that these organisations do not judge the farmer concerned as he is simply making a living and it's market forces which determine that birds are kept this way as few people are prepared to pay the true value of an egg. Consequently their main priority is to change consumer attitudes. I should also say that I'm not a member of any of these organisations so I'm not speaking for them, I'm just a person who rather likes chickens

Ratty wrote:Thats lovely of you. Thanks so much. I have family on the outskirts of Sheffield (just off J31 of M1) and we're just off J26 of M1 (Nottingham) so hopefully we'll be able to sort out a good collection point. I think I'll be after 4-6 hens, I have been told by various sources that I'm only to expect a 50% survival rate of rescued girls but if I'm wrong/lucky then we will still have the space for them.

Ratty

Hi again. Is J31 the spooky Stocksbridge by-pass one? If so then I've got family there too. Thinking about it I've got a brother in Nottingham......you're not my brother are you?

Nope Bluemoon, Stocksbridge is about J35 (north of Sheffield), my parents are south.

And again no, I am the wrong gender to be your brother

Ratty (no tail)