A battery farm abruptly closes its laying shed, giving an animal shelter just days to find homes for the chickens to avoid them being slaughtered.
Sally Hart has had one hell of a week.
The manager of the Franklin Farm Sanctuary had just finished a months-long rescue campaign to re-house 1000 chickens, when she got the call that another farm would be closing their chicken shed ahead of schedule.
While rescuing battery-farm chickens is part of Hart’s every day, she usually has about two months’ notice to prepare. This time she has until Wednesday.
“If everyone in New Zealand wanted to adopt chickens, I can get everyone chickens,” she exclaims.
Hart’s hen emergency is an increasingly common one, with all battery-farm poultry facilities being phased out by 2022. Some facilities were required to close or change methods earlier this year and this has prompted some large chicken culls. Last month, a farm in Waihī gave rescuers only a day’s notice to re-house thousands of hens. Given the short time frame, none could be saved.
“These animals are highly intelligent,” says Jessica Chambers, campaigns manager for animal welfare charity SAFE. “We really want to see these animals given the lives that they deserve and not be exploited.”
Chambers says New Zealand is lucky to have a number of dedicated hen rescue sanctuaries like Hart’s that build relationships with poultry farmers.
Around 4 million chickens are culled every year in New Zealand, most when egg production declines at 18 months old. While the hens can continue laying eggs right throughout their natural life, it generally isn’t enough to make a profit. In this case, the early closure of the battery-farm shed means Hart is desperately seeking anyone who wants to take a hen or three.
The Franklin Farm Sanctuary in Pukekawa works with local farms who would rather see their animals re-housed than killed. The sanctuary is able to take some animals itself, but the scale of chicken culls means Hart relies on volunteers to adopt most of the hens.
While Hart is working to have the deadline extended to Anzac weekend, she needs hundreds more volunteers to take the hens. After posting to Facebook, Hart says she has received about applications to house about 200 of the birds.
“I’m very pleased with that for just one night, but its not 2000,” she says.
People living in the suburbs usually take about three to six chickens each, while those living rurally take up to 12 at a time. Processing each request can take up to an hour, so with thousands of chickens to home Hart has her work cut out for her.
For those interested in taking a few chickens, Hart says the best way is to fill in the form on the Franklin sanctuary's website. After filling in the form, each volunteer is vetted to make sure they have the proper space and time to take care of the birds. Once everything is finalised, Hart provides new chicken owners with all the information they need to take care of their new friends.
“They really do become the most resilient wonderful pets,” she says.
“My kids love to pick them up and cuddle them and they love going out to collect the eggs.”
To adopt a hen, volunteers need to be able to provide shelter, food and water. One cost-effective method Hart suggests is to upcycle tin garden sheds from hardware or gardening supply stores. Placing wood shavings in the bottom of the shed, laying out some tree branches and providing ventilation should make for a happy chicken coop.
“Adopting our chickens and giving them a good home is a great way to get your own truly ethical eggs, and fresh daily!” Hart says.
