Some girls will die in their sleep, in their coop, with their sisters around them but sometimes, after you have nursed her and cared for her, yet she is obviously suffering, you have to make that decision for her. Hard as it is, remember it is done out of love. Making the decision to have a sick hen put to sleep is the hardest one of all, but one we all have to make at some point.
What we must try to remember is that every day these girls spend out of the cage is a good day. Every day they can forage and scratch and spread their wings, every day they can dustbathe and preen and sunbathe, chase flies and hunt for worms. Every day they can do all these things is a good day, be it for just one day or for many months or many years.
They were the lucky ones. Hundreds of thousands of their sisters live in cages and die in fear. No-one buries them and no-one grieves for them. They have no name, no identity, no dignity and never knew what it was like to spend their days in the sun or feel the love and kindness some humans can give them. As ex-battery hen owners we are fighting against the physical and emotional scars that intensive farming inflicts on our poor hens. It is a battle we cannot win but we can rescue as many hens as we can and surround them with the love they so deserve.
That is why we do what we do. If you have recently lost a hen, please find comfort in these words - Before she went you gave her love and life, a rare and precious gift denied to so many. I am sure they die knowing they are loved.
They were the lucky ones. Hundreds of thousands of their sisters live in cages and die in fear. No-one buries them and no-one grieves for them. They have no name, no identity, no dignity and never knew what it was like to spend their days in the sun or feel the love and kindness some humans can give them. As ex-battery hen owners we are fighting against the physical and emotional scars that intensive farming inflicts on our poor hens. It is a battle we cannot win but we can rescue as many hens as we can and surround them with the love they so deserve.
That is why we do what we do. If you have recently lost a hen, please find comfort in these words - Before she went you gave her love and life, a rare and precious gift denied to so many. I am sure they die knowing they are loved.