BHWT Newsletter Autumn 2009

8/14/2019 BHWT Newsletter Autumn 2009

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Battery Hen Welfare TrustWorking to inspire a Free Range Future

Registered Charity No: 1109060

Dear Supporters

I wasnt quite sure how to start this Newsletter; I didnt want to get serious well not straight away and I didnt want tospout about how you can help me make a difference again Ill save that for later, too. Then I took two calls, one after theother and that gave me the perfect reminder on how to reach the people who may not know about us and/or the hens.

Firstly Olga rang to apologise for not being able to adopt some ex-bats due to her feather phobia; she went on to say shewanted to contribute to the charity because of the difference ex-bats had made to her life since the loss of her husband.Then Jenny rang; having adopted some girls a matter of weeks ago, she and her boyfriend decided to fundraise on ourbehalf just because the girls had brought so much pleasure into their lives you can read more on both the stories insideMy conclusion: the hens inspire people, they bring a new dimension to our lives so we must maximise theirmarketingskills.

Other ingredients in this issue include Happy Eggs and where to get them, a focus on our fabulous fellas around the group,some fascinating facts on eggs and loads of feathery brown things doing what they enjoy most free ranging!

Jane X

Newsletter No 20

www.bhwt.org.uk

Phone: 01769 580310

Email: [email protected] Parks, Chulmleigh, Devon, EX18 7EJ

2009


2/12

So long as its positive all levels ofmedia attention are usually good forus. This quarter brought a wide range

including a prime slot on Countryfilewith regular presenter, Adam Henson,adopting some girls from our CoventryCo-ordinators, Ian & Mollie Farrar.Viewing figures: 6 Million plus!

We had another mention in Waitrose Illustratedmagazine and Country & Border Life magazinecovered all aspects of hen keeping with a featureon adopting ex-bats. We also featured in Horse &Rider and Country Smallholding.

We had TV slots on BBC Look North in Lincolnshire,BBC Spotlight in Devon and BBC East Midlands.Radio slots were broadcast in Oxford, Bristol andEssex all reaching people who may not have

heard about the BHWT! We even appearedon National Geographicaround the globe.

AND WHEN YOUR EX-BAT HAS FINISHED LAYING

simply chop some onions, dice some carrots and pop her in! Plucked first of course! So said ElizabethLuard, regular writer forCountry Livingmagazine, who adopted some ex-bats a year or so ago and wrote apiece about the merits of keeping cheap chickens and facing the credit crunch with bright ideas! As you canimagine I received quite a postbag, mostly offering all sorts of suggestions for recipes involving Elizabeth

Luard herself! Suffice it to say she got a fair roasting from our disgruntled supporters!Out of curiosity I contacted the magazine and was not surprised to learn that the suggestion to pot roast spenthens had in fact been written by Shona Corford Poole; someone who didnt own hens and had no knowledgethat organisations like ours existed! Apologies aside, and Shona did take pains to show remorse for herclumsy reference, a little simple homework would not have gone amiss and a follow up correction or evenfeature would have been a nice balance to their whopping faux pas!

At the other end of the scale, MedwynRoberts, Holywell Town Centre Manager,reached 3,000 local residents with a fulltwo pages of positive publicity in his localpaper, Holywell News. Medwyn evenprinted our cake poster inthe paper invaluable.

Adam Henson


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Blinkin brilliant: Trixy Gallagher, Anna Allen, ToniClarkson, Lisa Cornish, our own Corinne Careyand Michelle & Eloise Boulton collectively raised2,858 with their BUPA 10k fundraiser! Special

thanks to Trixy whoin her own rightraised a whopping1,172.Phil and AngieEvans were at itagain raising 550in the Flora LondonMarathon; andLucy Patterson andJo Cowper raised200 betweenthem in the Exeter

Half Marathon.THANK YOU!

Dr Nicola Rymes sent us 50 egg saleproceeds from her six ex-bats, youllread a bit more about Nicola later on.

.

Paul Melnyczuk,Director of GoodLife Press Ltd,

presented theBHWT team with acheque for 800 asa result of theirrecent magazinepromotion. A big

thanks to everyone at Home Farmer magazine.

Finally thanks, too, to supporter, Margaret Bultitude, who sadly died in December 07, but who had the foresight to thinkabout helping hens when she was alive and left a legacy to the BHWT of 2,725. We will use her kind gesture wisely.

In Memory

I was deeply shocked and saddened to learn that BHWT supporter, Colin Yamomoto, diedsuddenly from a heart attack at home on 16 th May 2009, aged just 37. Colin was one of theearliest BHWT supporters who made a real contribution to the development of the charity.

When he first got in touch, it was quickly evident that Colin had IT skills something I wasentirely devoid of and woefully lack even now so Colin was willingly roped into leaflet design,newsletter typesetting and all the IT troubleshooting I needed. He was brilliant! Colin was calm,clever and invariably had the problem resolved before Id finished my panic-ridden whinge!Deadlines were a lot more tolerable knowing I had Colin on the end of the phone and for that Ishall always be grateful.

Colin had two passions cars and chickens and until I met Colin I always believed that cars went vroomvroom and hens went cluck cluck. Not so, hens apparently went bok bok according to Colin and he hada number plate on his beloved Puma car to prove it! I have to say he had a point!

I shall really miss Colin, he helped on re-homing days too and will be missed in so many ways at the BHWT. I only hope hewould be touched and pleased that his family, friends and colleagues have decided to give funeral donations to his favouritecharity. Its a tribute to Colin that over 2,200 has been raised in his memory.

Cop Lane Primary School inPreston whose year 6 class (withteacher Ian Ashmore) raised

180 for us, painting free rangeeggs and holding a huge cakesale,just look at them! Theyrecently sponsored two of ourhens as well..

Chess Dynamics, a

military defencesystems company,organised a 'ChickenDay' for us and raised100.50. They held acake sale and raffleand dressed up!

Kip Spurways family and friends kindly donated 590 in her memory. Kip loved her chickens.

Michelle and EloiseBoulton

Corinne Carey withdaughters Jaccaba &Brailen

Trixy Gallagher

Anne Sharrard isnt a very well lady, but she still findsenergy to help the girls and were adopting hersuggestion to include a regular donation form in thisNewsletter. Anne also kindly sent us 50; thank you.

Just look at this lot:

If you would like to find out more about leaving us a gift in your Will, please contact Lisa Tate on 01769 580310

Colin


4/12

Ethical Egg Week was from 3rd

10th

August and although we think its a good way tohighlight the ethics behind egg consumption, we would like everyone to consider theirpurchase before putting eggs into their shopping trolley every week of the year not justone! Not you obviously, cause I know youre fully fledged hen friendly members, butthere are thousands who arent and its those hearts and minds we need to change.

You may have seen Happy Eggs in the supermarkets over the past few months and myadvice is ifyou have to buy eggs for yourself or others, BUY Happy Eggs!! Its the

latest welfare initiative from Noble Foods, the largest UK packer/producer, and Happy Eggs are produced on farms where thebirds do indeed have probably the very best free range facilities available.

My colleague, Lisa, and I visited a Happy Egg farm a few months ago and much as it says on the box, the girls had just abouteverything they could wish for: plenty of access outdoors, but ample inside play and scratch area for those rainy days too.They had access to trees which provide cover from predators (hens dont like going out into wide open spaces because of thethreat of overhead attack) and they had playground facilities including a covered sandpit for those communal dustbaths thatgive so many health benefits not to mention pleasure!

When we arrived the girls, all 3,000 or so it seemed, came running wings out towards us, but once their curiosity had beensatisfied, they returned to rootling under a disused farm cart anddelving into brashings (dead wood cut off young trees) to see whatinteresting titbits lay beneath. It really was pretty much paradise for

hens!

Happy Eggs are available in all major supermarkets and althoughthey may cost more, if you could have seen how happy those henswere, youd see the eggs for the excellent value they are! TheHappy Egg Co has also extended its range to offer ready-to-eathard boiled eggs available from Waitrose, Asda, One Stop &Ocado.com!

Dont forget: at what price good value? Caged hens = cheap eggs.Id rather turn it around and say its a price well worth paying forthe high value placed on so many lives.

SO, IS EX-BAT FEED ALL ITS CRACKED UP TO BE?Yep, sure is! But dont take my word for it, heres some independent feedback:

Told you so! Claire isn't directly involved with the BHWT, but has seen the incredible difference a truly good

quality feed can make. Now, did I tell you about Popcorn oh and theres the amazing Button whos shinier, and

brighter, than ever now shes on Ex-bat crumbs! Ok, ok, Ill pipe down.

Dear BHWT,

I just wanted to give you feedback on the Smallholder Ex-bat feed.

When I got my batch of 8 BHWT ex-bats last September, all were scruffy with bigbald patches. They recovered so I thought they'd done quite well until the new girl(a pet from hatching) strutted out of her carry-box looking like the chicken equiva-lent of Angelina Jolie! One hen in particular, Maureen - the typical quarrelsome, twitchy type who would start afight with herself if there was no-one else around - was still very threadbare and I started to worry about her.

I decided to buy the Smallholder feed mainly to support BHWT and I have been truly amazed with the results.First of all, the girls LOVE it and when I mixed the old feed with the new (to wean them on to it) they spent agespicking out the new feed leaving the rest!! After 4 weeks I had no shell-less eggs, whereas previously they werea weekly occurrence. The eggs are also more uniform with less ridges, bands and deformities.

The most striking change has been in their plumage. Everyone is fluffier and there are hardly any bald patches.Nowhere is it more apparent than with Maureen. In four weeks she has new flight feathers, soft, honey-goldshoulders and her tail is twice as wide as it was! Now I'm faced with finding a new way to identify her becauseshe's no longer the 'scrawny, bald one'!! (Fortunately, she still starts fights in empty rooms and likes to stand onmy boots so that helps!)

It's brilliant stuff and I'm sorry my e-mail about it has been so long but I'm chuffed and think any hen-fans withbaldies in their flock should buy it. Actually, I will carry on feeding it permanently because it's clearly doing themthe world of good. Please can you pass on my comments (and Maureen's thanks!) to your contacts at The Small-holder Company?

Thanks from: Claire (and Aggy, Bernie, Dorothy, Enid, Irene, Joan, Margaret, Maureen & Pauline - who have allsent feathers to Mr Kipling...)

Happy Hens = Happy Eggs


5/12

Lois and Layla giving Duracel a few treats.

Three very pretty girls!

JonnyandEllieReynoldsfeedingthegirlsafewtreats.

LouiseChapman'shappyhenstakearefreshingdrinkunderthewatchfuleyeofStorm.

DanHartknowsthattheaverageex-batladywilljumpthroughhoopsforatastyworm!

JoshuaMyersloveshis

newfeatheredbestfrie

nd!

JackSparrowfeeding

Greeneyes.

JaneGraveshenDollytakesastrollwithrescuebunnyNelson

ClaireMorganspetsgossipingonthepatio!

KarenandDannyWallshenshaveno

intentionofsharingtheirlunchwith

Ollie!

The old adage says to Never

work with children or animals!

Not so for our ladies and

these photos prove just howsociable they are!


6/12

Alison & Michael have 40 years poultryexperience behind them and Michael is thethird generation to manage the family farmof 100 acres near Preston, Lancashire.With poultry buildings well on their way toretirement and the cage ban looming,Alison & Michael considered their best wayforward and decided to invest in freerange production.

The base for the new building went downin January 2008, the builders pulled out allthe stops and completed the build in sixdays leaving just two weeks for the fittersto get all the internal equipment in place;electrics were completed at 11pm the nightbefore the hens arrived. Phew!

Six thousand hens had the opportunity to enjoy a natural life because Alison & Michael had the courage to put hugeinvestment into their business. Their first year has been a success: I have to say it has been a really smoothtransition and I think we have been really lucky to have had such excellent help and advice from people. Becausethe new house is more mechanised than our old cage houses, the job is actually easier, cleaner and more pleasant

than before. And I feel greater job satisfaction, seeing the birds happy on range, watching their antics and beingable to walk through them. It is a far nicer way of farming. In fact, my mother-in-law even commented that shenever liked putting birds in cages but this time, when she put the birds in the new house, she felt like she wassetting them free.

Alison & Michael are investing in another unit in 2010 and I wish them both lots of luck and am grateful that manymore thousands of hens will enjoy life on the outside because of their investment.

Waitroses Own brand products Green & Blacks Just Rachel Ben and Jerrys Cream of Galloway Roskillys of Cornwall September Organics

Mackies Co-ops Premium range Co-ops Healthy Living Range Marks and Spencer's Morrison's The Best range Sainsburys Taste the Difference Tescos Finest range

Assuming weve still got some sunshine to come in this less than impressivesummer, theres good news on the ice cream front.

Mackies ice cream has always been the favourite of Ryan, our Lisa Popes son, but hewasnt able to buy it because the tub didnt state free range eggs. Ryan, aged 16, was sokeen to have his beloved Mackies that he wrote to the company asking if theyd considerusing free range eggs in future. The response he got was better than he hoped for whenthey announced they already used free range eggs but simply didnt include thisinformation on the tubs! A delighted Ryan immediately scoffed a tub and into the bargainmanaged to persuade Mackies of the benefits of including free range on their packaging;lets hope Mackies sales shoot up when they advertise their free range policy.Once again this just proves the influence of consumers. Good eh!

If you fancy a free range ice cream treat, either straight from the tub like Ryan, or a

more modest delicious cone, keep an eye out for the manufacturers and retailersbelow.


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All BHWT re-homers go through our adoption procedure; we

like to check that all adopters offer good, caring homes and

understand the hens needs (they differ from standard poultry

on various counts); good secure accommodation is a must.

Its a procedure that has developed and been honed since

the very first hens came out in October 2003 and the aim is to

offer bespoke advice to any wanting to adopt.

Our Co-ordinators are very thorough in their assessment of

facilities and none more so than our lovely Fiona Gibson in

Dorset who took the re-homing system to another level

recently when she put me through my own adoption

procedure!

Tweedledum & Tweedledee (collectively known as the

Tweedles) were rescued from slaughter by Fiona in May. Both

had egg peritonitis and were unsuitable for re-homing, but Fi

did not have facilities to keep the birds long term, so I offered

to bring them back to North Parks for whatever retirement

they had remaining. Fi was quite keen on the idea, but not

willing to hand them over until Id proved that yes, I hadfacilities for handicapped hens unable to climb ladders,

yes Id continue to spoil them with their favourite treats of

sweetcorn and a little fruit and YES!, I did have quite a bit o f

experience in merging hens!!

Thankfully I passed muster and the Tweedles subsequently

came to live here at North Parks about 10 weeks ago. I

anticipated round football-hens, barely able to waddle; what

I got was two of the most adorable, endearing and bold

birds that I have ever encountered! Placed gently in the

hospital for initial assessment, the two were having none of it

promptly barged through the door, left the hospital behind

and side by side waddled briskly to the paddocks where theycould see life was much more fun! Had they been able to,

Im sure theyd have muttered Earl Grey & Battenburg for

tea please! Had they not been named, Hinge & Bracket

would have suited them well! They are inseparable!

Our policy on birds with egg peritonitis is to individually assess

the severity and deal with it accordingly. Egg peritonitis forms

when a birds reproductive system goes awry and although

she may be an otherwise healthy hen producing eggs, she is unable to lay them. Slowly she will fill with liquid egg

until eventually it becomes so uncomfortable quality of life deteriorates and sometimes the abdomen (where the

liquid egg rests) becomes infected.

Depending on the general health of the bird we will sometimes ask our lovely vet, Marcella, to perform a full spay, removing all the unlaid eggs and reproductive system to prevent further problems. Marcella has become

proficient at hen spays and many, although not all, have gone on to enjoy a further extension to their retirement.

However, because the risk of losing birds under anaesthetic is quite high, we do our best to maximise quality of life

before resorting to the operating table.

The Tweedles would not win prizes at shows with their wide girths, but currently they show no signs of distress and

continue to have great zest for life, ruling the roost in their family of nine size sometimes matters!

I always make one (or two) and last time I got the

circulation figures all wrong! Circulation of this newsletterhas risen steadily and now tops 18,000 regular readers!This is excellent news of course and we want you to helpensure our news spreads even further still itll be aregular reminder in every issue (providing I can rememberto include it!).

Thats what we want you to do. PLEASE dont just throw

away your newsletter copy - hand it to a friend, a workcolleague or a family member. If you dont have any ofthose, leave it in a doctors surgery, a vet practice or petshop. Please ask permission first and please alwaysKeep Britain Tidy, but if your simple action resulted in afew more hens being adopted or someone changing theirshopping habits think how pleased youd be.

LOSE THE NEWS! SPOT THE MISTAKE!

Tweedledee

Tweedledum


8/12

I started this issue by saying I was unsure as to how best toinspire you this time around, until of course I realised I couldsimply remind you the one sure way to get more people on sideis to let the girls do the job they do better than I ever could!

Dr Nicola Rymes first heard about our ex-bats from a colleagueat Torbay Hospital. After her friend had enthusiastically extolledtheir virtues it wasn't long before Nicola succumbed andcollected her first 4 girls. Since then interest at the hospital has

grown rapidly now three other colleagues on Dr Rymes patchhave either got or have reserved some ex-bats! Nicola herselfsent along this lovely reminder on how strong the ex-bat effectcan be:

This is my first foray into poultry keeping and I didnt realise the pleasure it brings theyre a wonderful aid to relaxation. My

neighbours have some hens as well and sitting in the garden with a cup of coffee early last Sunday morning (lie ins are, ofcourse, now a thing of the past), I could have been in the middle of the country, rather than in the middle of a town, as I

listened to the hens talking to each other over the garden fence.

The girls have continued to lay well and I ask for a 50p donation from friends and family for a box of 4 eggs. Needless to say,I cant keep up with demand. This cheque is the proceeds to help you continue all your good work.

With kind regards. Nicola Rymes

Olga, of course, is the lady who reminded me about the ex-bat effect when she called. Olga apologised for not being able toadopt any ex-bats, her feather phobia preventing her, but she wanted to donate something to pay back for the delicious eggsher neighbour, Jane Cooper, was now providing FOC. Having kept hens all her life Jane adopted ten lucky ladies from ourNewcastle Co-ordinator, Marianne Halford, just a few weeks ago and was instantly besotted with her new pets; their charmhowever reached further:

I can hear the hens in the garden next door said Olga. Its like living in the country, I had no idea they were so lovely. Shewent on Jane adores her hens and gives me their lovely fresh eggs, but wont take money, so I want to thank her and thehens by making a donation.

The thing that touched me most was that Jane and Olgas friendship had flourished since the hens arrival. The hens

have brought them closer together, something Olga has appreciated all the more since losing her husband. Jane also

gives talks on urban hen keeping and anyone interested can visit her website at www.citychicken.co.uk

Finally, the ex-bat effect can happen at any time. On a recent trip up the motorway with hens in the charity van our driver,Rich, stopped for a cup of coffee at a service station after safely delivering 125 hens to a new home. Spotted by the residentcar wash guys, Rich was asked all sorts about the charity and then the van was given a wash and spruce up just because theythought what we do is great!

Reverend Philipa King recently adopted some ex-bats from our NorfolkCo-ordinators, Ali & Andy Beecroft. Philipas set up a local community

h-enterprise with her ex-bats and the local paper reported the story :

NINE former battery hens have been rescued and become "wholly

happy hens" in a vicarage garden. The rescue operation was the idea

of the Rev Philipa King, the rector of the Ascension parish which

covers the Castle ward in Cambridge. The hens got an ecclesiastical

seal of approval when they were blessed by Bishop Simon Barrington-

Ward before taking up residence in the vicarage garden at Stretten

Avenue. The Rev King said: "I first got the idea of re-homing battery

chickens from a conversation with a friend." I investigated what they

would need and persuaded local craftsmen to build us a fox-proof pen

and a robust hen hut." A colleague and I, armed with all the cat boxes

we could beg, drove out to deepest rural Norfolk to collect the

chickens from a centre run by the BHWT.

"The chickens had just arrived straight from the farm. They were a bit scruffy however they were obviously grateful

because one laid an egg on the way home in the car. I thought it would be good fun to host a party to launch the 'Wholly

Happy Hen' project, which is what we've decided to call it. People of all ages came to meet our latest arrivals and Bishop

Simon Barrington-Ward blessed the hens before we drank a toast to their future."

The project is being run as a co-operative. A team of people which bears the costs take turns to feed the hens and clean

out the hut.

The whole parish has now gone hen mad and there will be more from them next time around.

Olga and Jane

Bishop Simon Barrington-Ward


9/12

People often think this charity is run by girls who just want to cuddlefluffy chickens wrong! We have some great guys around the UK allof whom bring heaps to the charity as well as rugged good looks andbrawn (just scoring a few brownie points as I write!).

Starting oop north, we have our Jim whos been with us since January2007 and who has recently proved hes the Rapid Response Co-ord in thecharity! Jim touched base with his local farmer on 15

thMay to confirm the

anticipated June collection date but he was told the girls were ready to go.Within 36 hours Jim had mobilised his team, booked out hundreds of hens

and just two days later 516 hens began a new life. Superb.Heres a photo of Jims home grown little helpers Hamish, Sholto, Archie& Flora waving goodbye to re-homers as they leave with their hens. Niceview isnt it!

Weve got Graham Longhurst who works jointly with wife, Tracey, as ourSurrey Co-ordinator. Graham gets stuck into every aspect of the Co-ordinator role. As well as doing hen collections he is an excellentrepresentative for the BHWT and has given up several days to attendevents on our behalf, the most recent being the Surrey County Show. TheShow gave us a fabulous opportunity to educate consumers on how theycan help hens and support British farmers.

Weve got James, Fiona Gibsons hubby, who always helps on hen collections and is appreciated by all the teams who merge

to depopulate a farm. James is justso

helpful; hes chief crate lugger and, sadlyfor us girls, regularly demonstrates how a vehicle and trailershouldbe reversedinto a tight spot! We are incredibly lucky to borrow James now and again, thankyou James!

Next is our Ian, the slightly less gorgeous half of the Coventry team some maysay. New to married life he may be (wed to Mollie on 4

th July), but an old hand athen collections with over 11,000 having been saved from slaughter so far! Iansamazingly proactive, always throwing brilliant ideas into the pot and he evenprovides free h-entertainment as he re-homes! Ive seen him at work, trust me hes funny! How lucky do I feel to have Ian on board exceedingly.

Last, but by no means least, theres Perrin our Isle of Wight Co-ordinator whojoined the team in July last year. Perrin just quietly gets on with the task in handneeding minimal guidance and input from Hen Central in Devon. Perrins madehis involvement with the BHWT a family affair; his wife, Corinne recently ran theBUPA 10k for us and their children, Jaccaba & Brailen, both get involved usinggeocaching as a way to spread the word about the charity. Geocaching? Yeah,me too never heard of it! Ill let Perrin tell you in his own words

Our Ian

...NOT FOR MUGGLES!

Ive got it DadMum. MUM! Found itwicked shouted my daughter, Jaccaba, who at

the time was half-way through a field of bracken having just scaled a woodland bank

somewhere in the countryside on the Isle of Wight! She came out of the field clutching

in her hand a plastic Tupperware box you see, shes a Geocacher.A what! you ask! Well Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of

hiding and seeking treasure. Not valuable treasure, but treasure none the less and we,

as a family, seek out different treasure boxes (caches) all over the Isle of Wight. Thereare now over 800,000 caches across the globe and it is likely that there is one near you.

In fact there are probably hundreds. Its a fantastic activity for adults and children and in

most caches there are small value items to trade (swap). You log onto the website,

record your visit and what you traded. Our daughters love it!Have you ever seen people suspiciously looking around the edge of a country path or surreptitiously feeling behind a road sign at a

junction of the street in your town? No? Then you are undoubtedly a Muggle. Like the identical term used for non wizards in the

Harry Potter stories, a muggle is a person who is not a geocacher and part of the game is to ensure these people do not realize the

goings on. Where the cache is in a busy public place the cachers use stealth and subtlety in their approach and seizure of the treasure.

A sort of friendly secret spy combing the area for the cache whilst trying not to give the game away!A geocacher can place a geocache anywhere in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and share the geocache's existence

and location online. Anyone with a GPS device can then try to locate the geocache themselves. Were hooked and set up our first two

caches last week. Since then we have logged onto the website and 10 people have found the caches and sent comments and thanks

through the website message board where you log your cache finds.Of course, as BHWT chicken fanatics, we are setting up a travel bug chicken. A travel bug is a trackable item that moves from place to

place (cache to cache), picking up stories along the way. On the website you can add your own story, or live vicariously through each

bug's adventures. Our chickens goal is to spread the word of the BHWT throughout the world! Why dont you log on and stop being a

Muggle?

Sounds bizarre, but fun and spreading the word globally about our ex-bats now that appeals!

Hamish, Sholto. Archie & Flora Duff

Jaccaba & Brailen


10/12


11/12

Brolly

We love all the heartwarming stories and kind comments we get

from our supporters, heres just a few that have come in

Claire Duncan, sent this lovely report on her three ex-bats:

Dear Adele

Just an up to date report on the hens, theyve come on so well you wouldntrecognise them! I called the one with the limp Hazel, she loves trying to eatshoelaces, hair, buttons, jewellery, wellie-straps and fingers. Her limp has

completely cleared up now, but she runs with a rolling gait. Shes got themaking of a house-hen when the opportunity presents itself. She alsofollows my Dad in the garden and walks to heel better than the dog!

I called the really bald one with the floppy comb Lilly. She moulted and isnow covered with beautiful golden brown feathers. When we first got herall she did was eat and drink, but now she has discovered the delights oftrashing flowerbeds. Dad says shes an ey up chicken, because her combresembles a flat cap.

The other one I called Jasmine, she was nervous at first but is now contentto be petted. She hurt her wing the other week, so we took her to the vet in a cardboard box. The vet actually commented on how calmand well behaved she was. The vet said it was just a bruised nerve and she is now totally better.

Yours, Claire DuncanClaire is autistic and attends boarding school during the week; when shes at home the hens really engage her focus. Thewhole family is pleased the hens have had such an positive effect on Claire; this sort of thing has been seen with dogsbefore, but I dont know if has been seen with hens!Dear Molly and Ian

I thought you might like to see these photos of our darling hens enjoying theirnew life in the Cotswolds!

They are an absolute delight, we can't get over how friendly they are andeasy to keep. They have produced 45 eggs in the 4 weeks that we have hadthem and we only have three hens!

It has been quite a humbling experience to see them flourish from frightened,pale, threadbare chucks into the cheeky monkeys that are now ruling theroost (and bossing the dogs and cats about!) They seem to have recoveredfrom their previous life quite quickly, helped along by lots of TLC and aplentiful supply of treats from the kitchen. They have the run of the garden(when we are there) and they are getting about 40 - 50 hrs free-ranging aweek which seems to have done them the world of good.

It really is a remarkable thing that you all do for these hens at the BHWT. From'Hughsie', 'Big Cyril' and 'Super Bob', a huge "Thank you!" (yes we know they

are girls - please don't ask about the names -it's a long story relating West Bromwich Albion FC!)

We shall continue to spread the word of the BHWT. The eggs which are surplus to requirement are given as gifts to friends,family and colleagues with a note attached telling them all about BHWT and to pass it on to all their acquaintances too!

Thank you again for our lovely girls and hope you like the photos!

With kind regards Esther & Steve Knight`

Leanne,

I would like to thank you for introducing us to six wonderful ladies lastmonth. The girls have taken to the Welsh mountain air remarkably well andlook fantastic.

Egg production is around 80%; the strange thing is our existing chickenswho were declining in egg production have now received a wake up calland boosted their egg production to keep up.

They have proven quite an attraction with our guests and mornings nowinclude a tour of the chickens. For most of our younger guests this is the firsttime they have ever come close to the "Food Chain" and are quite fascinatedthat something like a chicken can produce an egg! A recent website

comment confirmed this. "I stayed in Bryn Bella for 3 nights with my twoyoung children, aged 2 and 5. I would have no hesitation in recommendingthis B&B as it was so clean, with good food at breakfast and packed lunches available. Mark and Joan were lovely hostsand my daughter loved feeding the chickens and then having an egg she found boiled for breakfast the next day!"

I cannot thank you enough for giving us the opportunity to "recycle" these wonderful characters. I have attached photos toillustrate their life so far at Bryn Bella. Mark Edwards

The Bryn Bella Girls

Steve Knight and Hughsie

Claire Duncan


12/12

AND FINALLY HP!

HP arrived in June from a farm in Somerset A real curtain twitcher, HennyPenny (I didnt

name her!), had only to extend her long neck to see over the top of the barrier into the

hospital pen next door. Now her bruising has gone shes progressed to free ranging, but isnt

sure who shes supposed to be cosying up to now shes got the life pass to North Parks. At

the moment it seems to be Frank, (the cat). Coming back from a walk with the dogs a few

days ago, both HP & Frank came to greet me, walking side by side, step for step and today,

once again, they were sunbathing, sprawled on the warm concrete outside the kitchen

window! Lifes hard at North Parks!

HP could easily be re-homed, shell be a beauty before long and she occasionally forgets to limp when she thinks nobodys

watching her. But what the heck, weve all fallen for her, shes brown, full of sauce, the name fits what more

could we ask well perhaps an egg but well give her a bit longer yet!

Battery Hen Welfare Trust STANDING ORDER FORM

HP

By popular request we have decided to include in each issue a simple donation form. If you would

like to donate to the BHWT, simply fill in your details below and send it to us.

You can see what your donations buy and every penny is welcome.

This time we have two lovely ladies to offer you!

Nancy made it obvious right from the start she was a veryspecial and sweet natured hen and Puddingdemonstrated how keen she was to start her new freerange life as she demonstrated on the journey home.

If you would like to sponsor a hen for yourself or as a present for a friend, pleaseeither visit our website or call Ann Osborne on 01189 432693 (9am 5pmweekdays only please).

The pack costs 17.99 and includes a certificate, the hens story, two greetingscards by BHWT artist, Lisa Pope, a car sticker, key ring, Newsletter and a six month update on your hen.

Nancy

Pudding

Your Full Name and Address: .

...Post Code: .

Phone Number: .

Your Banks Name and Address: ...

...Post Code: .

Account Number: . Sort Code: ...

Please Pay Lloyds Bank, Barnstaple Branch, (30-90-49), the sum of: to be credited to the account of The Battery Hen Welfare

Trust ( Account No: 02429877) on ...2009

And a like amount thereafter on the same date of each month/quarter/year (please delete as appropriate), until countermanded.

Signature: . Date: .

Print Name: .

To the Bank When making payments please quote BHWT ref no: .In the event of a query, please contact Jules Rogers on 01769 580310.

Gift Aid Declaration

I want the charity to treat all donations I have made in the last six years, and all donations I make from the date of this declaration as Gift Aiddonations, until I notify you otherwise.

I understand that I must pay an amount of United Kingdom income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the tax that the charity reclaimson my donations in each tax year (currently 25p for each 1 given).

Signed: . Date........../. ........./....... ...

When completed, please return this form to: The Battery Hen Welfare Trust, North Parks, Chulmleigh, Devon. EX18 7EJ THANK YOU

300 SMALL HEN HOUSE

500 MEDIUM HEN HOUSE

900 TRAILER (CARRIES 192 HENS)

6 BALE OF FIRST GRADE SHAVINGS

11 20KG SACK OF EX-BAT FEED

15 CAT BASKET

25 30L WATER DRINKER

30 POULTRY CRATE

32 POULTRY FEEDER

140 CUSTOM MADE TARPAULINS

WHAT YOUR DONATIONS PAY FOR: THANK YOU!

Your donation could be worth 25% more if you are a UK Tax payer, for every 1 you give, the BHWT can receive 25 pence fromthe Inland Revenue at no extra cost to you. All you need to do is, read and sign the declaration below.

BHWT Newsletter Autumn 2009

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Transcript of BHWT Newsletter Autumn 2009