Bhwt Newsletter Autumn 2009

Battery Hen Welfare Trust “Working to inspire a Free Range Future” Registered Charity No: 1109060

Newsletter No 20

www.bhwt.org.uk Phone: 01769 580310 Email: [email protected] North Parks, Chulmleigh, Devon, EX18 7EJ

2009 Dear Supporters I wasn’t quite sure how to start this Newsletter; I didn’t want to get serious – well not straight away and I didn’t want to spout about how you can help me make a difference again … I’ll save that for later, too. Then I took two calls, one after the other 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 she wanted 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 our behalf just because the girls had brought so much pleasure into their lives – you can read more on both the stories inside My conclusion: the hens inspire people, they bring a new dimension to our lives so we must maximise their marketing skills. 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

So long as it’s positive all levels of media attention are usually good for us. This quarter brought a wide range including a prime slot on Countryfile with regular presenter, Adam Henson, adopting some girls from our Coventry Co-ordinators, Ian & Mollie Farrar. Viewing figures: 6 Million plus!

Adam Henson

At the other end of the scale, Medwyn Roberts, Holywell Town Centre Manager, reached 3,000 local residents with a full two pages of positive publicity in his local paper, Holywell News. Medwyn even printed our cake poster in the paper – invaluable.

We had another mention in Waitrose Illustrated magazine and Country & Border Life magazine covered all aspects of hen keeping with a feature on 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 and Essex … all reaching people who may not have heard about the BHWT! We even appeared on National Geographic around 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 Elizabeth Luard, regular writer for Country Living magazine, who adopted some ex-bats a year or so ago and wrote a piece about the merits of keeping cheap chickens and facing the credit crunch with ‘bright’ ideas! As you can imagine 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 spent hens had in fact been written by Shona Corford Poole; someone who didn’t own hens and had no knowledge that organisations like ours existed! Apologies aside, and Shona did take pains to show remorse for her clumsy reference, a little simple homework would not have gone amiss and a follow up correction or even feature would have been a nice balance to their whopping faux pas!

Just look at this lot: Cop Lane Primary School in Preston whose year 6 class (with teacher Ian Ashmore) raised £180 for us, painting free range eggs and holding a huge cake sale, just look at them! They recently sponsored two of our hens as well..

Blinkin’ brilliant: Trixy Gallagher, Anna Allen, Toni Clarkson, Lisa Cornish, our own Corinne Carey and Michelle & Eloise Boulton collectively raised £2,858 with their BUPA 10k fundraiser! Special thanks to Trixy who in her own right raised a whopping £1,172. Phil and Angie Evans were at it again raising £550 in the Flora London Marathon; and Lucy Patterson and Jo Cowper raised £200 between them in the Exeter Half Marathon. Trixy Gallagher THANK YOU!

Anne Sharrard isn’t a very well lady, but she still finds energy to help the girls and we’re adopting her suggestion to include a regular donation form in this Newsletter. Anne also kindly sent us £50; thank you.

Chess Dynamics, a military defence systems company, organised a 'Chicken Day' for us and raised £100.50. They held a cake sale and raffle and dressed up!

Paul Melnyczuk, Director of Good Life Press Ltd, presented the BHWT team with a cheque for £800 as a result of their recent magazine promotion. A big thanks to everyone at Home Farmer magazine.

Corinne Carey with daughters Jaccaba & Brailen

Michelle and Eloise Boulton

Dr Nicola Rymes sent us £50 egg sale proceeds from her six ex-bats, you’ll read a bit more about Nicola later on.

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In Memory I was deeply shocked and saddened to learn that BHWT supporter, Colin Yamomoto, died suddenly from a heart attack at home on 16th May 2009, aged just 37. Colin was one of the earliest 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 was entirely 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 I’d finished my panic-ridden whinge! Deadlines were a lot more tolerable knowing I had Colin on the end of the phone and for that I shall always be grateful. Colin had two passions – cars and chickens and until I met Colin I always believed that cars went ‘vroom vroom’ and hens went ‘cluck cluck’. Not so, hens apparently went ‘bok bok’ according to Colin and he had a number plate on his beloved Puma car to prove it! I have to say he had a point!

Colin

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 he would be touched and pleased that his family, friends and colleagues have decided to give funeral donations to his favourite charity. It’s a tribute to Colin that over £2,200 has been raised in his memory. Kip Spurway’s family and friends kindly donated £590 in her memory. Kip loved her chickens. Finally thanks, too, to supporter, Margaret Bultitude, who sadly died in December 07, but who had the foresight to think about helping hens when she was alive and left a legacy to the BHWT of £2,725. We will use her kind gesture wisely. If you would like to find out more about leaving us a gift in your Will, please contact Lisa Tate on 01769 580310

Ethical Egg Week was from 3rd – 10th August and although we think it’s a good way to highlight the ethics behind egg consumption, we would like everyone to consider their purchase before putting eggs into their shopping trolley every week of the year not just one! Not you obviously, ‘cause I know you’re fully fledged hen friendly members, but there are thousands who aren’t and it’s those hearts and minds we need to change. You may have seen Happy Eggs in the supermarkets over the past few months and my advice is … if you have to buy eggs for yourself or others, BUY Happy Eggs!! It’s the latest welfare initiative from Noble Foods, the largest UK packer/producer, and Happy Eggs are produced on farms where the birds 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 about everything 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 don’t like going out into wide open spaces because of the threat of overhead attack) and they had playground facilities including a covered sandpit for those communal dustbaths that give so many health benefits not to mention pleasure! Happy Hens = Happy Eggs

When we arrived the girls, all 3,000 or so it seemed, came running – wings out – towards us, but once their curiosity had been satisfied, they returned to rootling under a disused farm cart and delving into brashings (dead wood cut off young trees) to see what interesting titbits lay beneath. It really was pretty much paradise for hens! Happy Eggs are available in all major supermarkets and although they may cost more, if you could have seen how happy those hens were, you’d see the eggs for the excellent value they are! The Happy Egg Co has also extended its range to offer ready-to-eat hard boiled eggs available from Waitrose, Asda, One Stop & Ocado.com! Don’t forget: at what price good value? Caged hens = cheap eggs. I’d rather turn it around and say it’s a price well worth paying for the high value placed on so many lives.

SO, IS EX-BAT FEED ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE? Yep, sure is! But don’t take my word for it, here’s some independent feedback:

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 big bald 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 equivalent of Angelina Jolie! One hen in particular, Maureen - the typical quarrelsome, twitchy type who would start a fight 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 ages picking out the new feed leaving the rest!! After 4 weeks I had no shell-less eggs, whereas previously they were a 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-gold shoulders and her tail is twice as wide as it was! Now I'm faced with finding a new way to identify her because she's no longer the 'scrawny, bald one'!! (Fortunately, she still starts fights in empty rooms and likes to stand on my 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 with baldies in their flock should buy it. Actually, I will carry on feeding it permanently because it's clearly doing them the world of good. Please can you pass on my comments (and Maureen's thanks!) to your contacts at The Smallholder Company? Thanks from: Claire (and Aggy, Bernie, Dorothy, Enid, Irene, Joan, Margaret, Maureen & Pauline - who have all sent feathers to Mr Kipling...) 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 there’s the amazing Button who’s shinier, and brighter, than ever now she’s on Ex-bat crumbs! Ok, ok, I’ll pipe down.

The old adage says to “Never work with children or animals!” Not so for our ladies and these photos prove just how sociable they are!

Dan Hart knows th at the average ex-bat lady will jum p through hoops for a tasty worm! Jonny and El lie Reynolds feeding the girls a fe w treats.

ow feeding Jack Sparr Greeneyes. Jane Graves’ he n Dolly takes a stroll with resc ue bunny Nelso n

alls’ hens have no Karen and Danny W their lunch with intention of sharing Ollie!

Louise Chapm an's happy he ns take a refreshing dr ink under th e watchful eye of Storm .

rs loves his Joshua Mye nd! ed best frie new feather

Claire Morgan’ s pets gossipin g on the patio!

Lois and Layla giving Duracel a few treats. Three very pretty girls!

Assuming we’ve still got some sunshine to come in this less than impressive summer, there’s good news on the ice cream front. Mackie’s ice cream has always been the favourite of Ryan, our Lisa Pope’s son, but he wasn’t able to buy it because the tub didn’t state free range eggs. Ryan, aged 16, was so keen to have his beloved Mackie’s that he wrote to the company asking if they’d consider using free range eggs in future. The response he got was better than he hoped for when they announced they already used free range eggs but simply didn’t include this information on the tubs! A delighted Ryan immediately scoffed a tub and into the bargain managed to persuade Mackie’s of the benefits of including free range on their packaging; let’s hope Mackie’s 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 retailers below.

• • • • • • •

Mackie’s Co-op’s Premium range Co-op’s Healthy Living Range Marks and Spencer's Morrison's’ The Best range Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Tesco’s Finest range

• • • • • • •

Waitrose’s Own brand products Green & Blacks Just Rachel Ben and Jerry’s Cream of Galloway Roskilly’s of Cornwall September Organics

Alison & Michael have 40 years poultry experience behind them and Michael is the third generation to manage the family farm of 100 acres near Preston, Lancashire. With poultry buildings well on their way to retirement and the cage ban looming, Alison & Michael considered their best way forward and decided to invest – in free range production. The base for the new building went down in January 2008, the builders pulled out all the stops and completed the build in six days leaving just two weeks for the fitters to get all the internal equipment in place; electrics were completed at 11pm the night before the hens arrived. Phew! Six thousand hens had the opportunity to enjoy a natural life because Alison & Michael had the courage to put huge investment into their business. Their first year has been a success: “I have to say it has been a really smooth transition and I think we have been really lucky to have had such excellent help and advice from people. Because the 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 being able to walk through them. It is a far nicer way of farming. In fact, my mother-in-law even commented that she never liked putting birds in cages but this time, when she put the birds in the new house, she felt like she was setting them free.” Alison & Michael are investing in another unit in 2010 and I wish them both lots of luck and am grateful that many more thousands of hens will enjoy life on the outside because of their investment.

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. It’s 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 I’d proved that “yes”, I had facilities for handicapped hens unable to climb ladders, “yes” I’d continue to spoil them with their favourite treats of sweetcorn and a little fruit and “YES”!, I did have quite a bit of experience in merging hens!!

Tweedledum

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 they could see life was much more fun! Had they been able to, I’m sure they’d 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 Tweedledee the severity and deal with it accordingly. Egg peritonitis forms when a bird’s 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!

LOSE THE NEWS!

SPOT THE MISTAKE!

That’s what we want you to do. PLEASE don’t just throw away your newsletter copy - hand it to a friend, a work colleague or a family member. If you don’t have any of those, leave it in a doctor’s surgery, a vet practice or pet shop. Please ask permission first and please always Keep Britain Tidy, but if your simple action resulted in a few more hens being adopted or someone changing their shopping habits – think how pleased you’d be.

I always make one (or two) and last time I got the circulation figures all wrong! Circulation of this newsletter has risen steadily and now tops 18,000 regular readers! This is excellent news of course and we want you to help ensure our news spreads even further still – it’ll be a regular reminder in every issue (providing I can remember to include it!).

Olga and Jane I started this issue by saying I was unsure as to how best to inspire you this time around, until of course I realised I could simply remind you the one sure way to get more people on side is 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 colleague at Torbay Hospital. After her friend had enthusiastically extolled their virtues it wasn't long before Nicola succumbed and collected her first 4 girls. Since then interest at the hospital has grown rapidly – now three other colleagues on Dr Rymes’ patch have either got or have reserved some ex-bats! Nicola herself sent along this lovely reminder on how strong the ex-bat effect can be: “This is my first foray into poultry keeping and I didn’t realise the pleasure it brings – they’re 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, of course, 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 can’t 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 to adopt any ex-bats, her feather phobia preventing her, but she wanted to donate something to pay back for the delicious eggs her neighbour, Jane Cooper, was now providing FOC. Having kept hens all her life Jane adopted ten lucky ladies from our Newcastle Co-ordinator, Marianne Halford, just a few weeks ago and was instantly besotted with her new pets; their charm however reached further: “I can hear the hens in the garden next door” said Olga. “It’s like living in the country, I had no idea they were so lovely”. She went on “Jane adores her hens and gives me their lovely fresh eggs, but won’t take money, so I want to thank her and the hens by making a donation.” The thing that touched me most was that Jane and Olga’s 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 resident car wash guys, Rich was asked all sorts about the charity and then the van was given a wash and spruce up just because they thought what we do is great!

Reverend Philipa King recently adopted some ex-bats from our Norfolk Co-ordinators, Ali & Andy Beecroft. Philipa’s 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 BarringtonWard 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 Bishop Simon Barrington-Ward

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.

People often think this charity is run by girls who just want to cuddle fluffy chickens – wrong! We have some great guys around the UK all of whom bring heaps to the charity as well as rugged good looks and brawn (just scoring a few brownie points as I write!). Starting oop north, we have our Jim who’s been with us since January 2007 and who has recently proved he’s the Rapid Response Co-ord in the charity! Jim touched base with his local farmer on 15th May 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.

Hamish, Sholto. Archie & Flora Duff

Here’s a photo of Jim’s home grown little helpers – Hamish, Sholto, Archie & Flora waving goodbye to re-homers as they leave with their hens. Nice view isn’t it! We’ve got Graham Longhurst who works jointly with wife, Tracey, as our Surrey Co-ordinator. Graham gets stuck into every aspect of the Coordinator role. As well as doing hen collections he is an excellent representative for the BHWT and has given up several days to attend events on our behalf, the most recent being the Surrey County Show. The Show gave us a fabulous opportunity to educate consumers on how they can help hens and support British farmers. We’ve got James, Fiona Gibson’s hubby, who always helps on hen collections and is appreciated by all the teams who merge to depopulate a farm. James is just so helpful; he’s chief crate lugger and, sadly for us girls, regularly demonstrates how a vehicle and trailer should be reversed Our Ian into a tight spot! We are incredibly lucky to borrow James now and again, thank you James! Next is our Ian, the slightly less gorgeous half of the Coventry team some may say. New to married life he may be (wed to Mollie on 4th July), but an old hand at hen collections with over 11,000 having been saved from slaughter so far! Ian’s amazingly proactive, always throwing brilliant ideas into the pot and he even provides free h-entertainment as he re-homes! I’ve seen him at work, trust me – he’s funny! How lucky do I feel to have Ian on board – exceedingly. Last, but by no means least, there’s Perrin – our Isle of Wight Co-ordinator who joined the team in July last year. Perrin just quietly gets on with the task in hand needing minimal guidance and input from Hen Central in Devon. Perrin’s made his involvement with the BHWT a family affair; his wife, Corinne recently ran the BUPA 10k for us and their children, Jaccaba & Brailen, both get involved using geocaching as a way to spread the word about the charity. Geocaching? Yeah, me too – never heard of it! I’ll let Perrin tell you in his own words … ...NOT FOR MUGGLES! Jaccaba & Brailen “I’ve got it Dad…Mum. MUM! Found it…wicked” 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, she’s 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. There are now over 800,000 caches across the globe and it is likely that there is one near you. In fact there are probably hundreds. It’s 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. We’re 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 chicken’s goal is to spread the word of the BHWT throughout the world! Why don’t you log on and stop being a ‘Muggle’? Sounds bizarre, but fun and spreading the word globally about our ex-bats – now that appeals!

When you collect your eggs in the morning, no doubt there’s delight and amazement at some of the odd shapes and sizes that appear in the nest boxes. This fascinating array of natural packaging all adds to the joys of keeping hens for the likes of the backyard hen keeper. Not so for the commercial egg producer who has to quickly learn to identify which eggs are acceptable for sale and which miss the mark and fall into the seconds category. The Class A illustrations below are examples of eggs that are acceptable to the supermarkets. However, the Class B illustrations are just 5 of over 20 examples of eggs NOT considered good enough for anything other than the processed food sector. As such these eggs are worth a lot less to the farmer; yet I daresay a few will look familiar as you go about your daily collections!

Ideal Eggs (Class A)

Pink Egg

Brown Shell

Brown Speckled Egg

Acceptable Seconds – suitable for the processed food sector (Class B)

Excessive Calcium Splashed Egg

Excessive Pale White Shell Egg

Excessive Winkled Shells

Mishapen Shells

UPDATE ON OAKLANDS In the last issue we wrote about Oaklands innovative liquid egg sold in handy to use cartons; this new idea provides an excellent opportunity to gain better value for eggs unsuitable for sale as shell eggs. One farmer recently contacted an ex-bat forum to comment on the problems farmers face with seconds:

“It is illegal to sell washed eggs as grade A. When a hen lays an egg on the floor as opposed to the nest it has to be sold as a 2nd to the egg packers. For these we get the princely sum of 35p per dozen. Think how many of your hens lay floor eggs and you will see the potential problem. As a free ranger I think it [Oakland’s idea] is a brilliant idea and I wish I had thought of it first. We sell blocks of frozen eggs to chip shops for their batter at 90p per kilo which is about 15 eggs.” You can see his point, rules and regs are so stringent – as they rightly should be – but it does us no harm to understand some of the issues our farmers face and ways in which Sharon's girls they seeksweet to help themselves without putting welfare at the bottom of the list.

Target Shells Incomplete Shell

We love all the heartwarming stories and kind comments we get from our supporters, here’s 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, they’ve come on so well you wouldn’t recognise them! I called the one with the limp Hazel, she loves trying to eat shoelaces, hair, buttons, jewellery, wellie-straps and fingers. Her limp has completely cleared up now, but she runs with a rolling gait. She’s got the making of a house-hen when the opportunity presents itself. She also follows 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 is now covered with beautiful golden brown feathers. When we first got her all she did was eat and drink, but now she has discovered the delights of trashing flowerbeds. Dad says she’s an ‘ey up’ chicken, because her comb resembles a flat cap. Claire Duncan The other one I called Jasmine, she was nervous at first but is now content to 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 calm and well behaved she was. The vet said it was just a bruised nerve and she is now totally better. Yours, Claire Duncan Claire is autistic and attends boarding school during the week; when she’s at home the hens really engage her focus. The whole family is pleased the hens have had such an positive effect on Claire; this sort of thing has been seen with dogs before, but I don’t 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 their new life in the Cotswolds! They are an absolute delight, we can't get over how friendly they are and easy to keep. They have produced 45 eggs in the 4 weeks Brollythat we have had them and we only have three hens!

Steve Knight and Hughsie

It has been quite a humbling experience to see them flourish from frightened, pale, threadbare chucks into the cheeky monkeys that are now ruling the roost (and bossing the dogs and cats about!) They seem to have recovered from their previous life quite quickly, helped along by lots of TLC and a plentiful 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 a week 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 last month. The girls have taken to the Welsh mountain air remarkably well and look fantastic. Egg production is around 80%; the strange thing is our existing chickens who were declining in egg production have now received a wake up call and boosted their egg production to keep up. They have proven quite an attraction with our guests and mornings now include a tour of the chickens. For most of our younger guests this is the first time they have ever come close to the "Food Chain" and are quite fascinated that something like a chicken can produce an egg! A recent website The Bryn Bella Girls comment confirmed this. "I stayed in Bryn Bella for 3 nights with my two young children, aged 2 and 5. I would have no hesitation in recommending this B&B as it was so clean, with good food at breakfast and packed lunches available. Mark and Joan were lovely hosts and 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 to illustrate their life so far at Bryn Bella. Mark Edwards

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.

Battery Hen Welfare Trust STANDING ORDER FORM 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.

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 from the Inland Revenue at no extra cost to you. All you need to do is, read and sign the declaration below. 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 Aid donations, 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 reclaims on 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

WHAT YOUR DONATIONS PAY FOR: £6

BALE OF FIRST GRADE SHAVINGS

£11 20KG SACK OF EX-BAT FEED £15 CAT BASKET

THANK YOU!

£25

30L WATER DRINKER

£30

POULTRY CRATE

£300 SMALL HEN HOUSE

£32

POULTRY FEEDER

£500 MEDIUM HEN HOUSE

£140 CUSTOM MADE TARPAULINS

£900 TRAILER (CARRIES 192 HENS)

This time we have two lovely ladies to offer you! Nancy made it obvious right from the start she was a very special and sweet natured hen and Pudding demonstrated how keen she was to start her new free range 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, please either visit our website or call Ann Osborne on 01189 432693 (9am – 5pm weekdays only please).

Pudding The pack costs £17.99 and includes a certificate, the hen’s story, two greetings cards by BHWT artist, Lisa Pope, a car sticker, key ring, Newsletter and a six month update on your hen.

HP

Nancy

AND FINALLY …HP!

HP arrived in June from a farm in Somerset A real curtain twitcher, HennyPenny (I didn’t 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 she’s progressed to free ranging, but isn’t sure who she’s supposed to be cosying up to now she’s 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! Life’s hard at North Parks! HP could easily be re-homed, she’ll be a beauty before long and she occasionally forgets to limp when she thinks nobody’s watching her. But what the heck, we’ve all fallen for her, she’s brown, full of sauce, the name fits – what more could we ask … well perhaps an egg, but we’ll give her a bit longer yet!