Bhwt Newsletter - Summer 2009

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

Newsletter No 19

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

2009 Dear Supporters I’m an optimist by nature preferring to see a glass half full rather than half empty. However, even my bright vision for the future of the egg industry has recently been challenged. As egg producers face some of the toughest choices yet and I get on my soapbox for the first time – indulge me – I’ll explain that the welfare of hens and health of the UK industry is in our hands more than ever. The BHWT has always held dear its claim to care about the egg producers as well as the hens themselves, in our view it’s impossible to separate the two, and in this issue I’ll give you a good example of why it’s so important to support rather than condemn. And, much as I’d like to spout about rights for hens and support for British farmers, you’ll be pleased to hear this issue has all the usual fun items too! Not least the results of our BHWT Ex-Bat Beauty Contest with our winning luscious layer preening her Sunday best feathers as she takes the title. Prepare yourselves for some of the usual red carpet meets flashing cameras meets celeb with whopping ego shenanigans! Good grief. We’re also delighted to announce the long overdue return of our Eggsellence Award and have the usual crop of lovelies in our Gallery along with more of your heart warming stories. Let’s hope we and all our feathered friends enjoy a long, lazy, hazy summer of warmth and sunshine – would be nice wouldn’t it. Jane x

Working with journalists is always double edged and contains a high risk element. They love a story that sells and that usually means a bit of sensationalism as a vital ingredient. Hmm, I don’t like sensationalism; it causes all sorts of problems and of course battery hens provide just the right emotive platform to maximize shock value. It made it all the more rewarding then to work with three journalists recently, all of whom entirely respected the sensitive issues surrounding the caged egg industry and all of whom worked closely with me to ensure that both respect and balance were achieved.

Sarah Joseph, editor of the Muslim lifestyle magazine, Emel, adopted some of our girls from Tracey Longhurst in February and produced a really warm, well balanced piece for the magazine. Sarah also recounted her experiences of ex-bats on her regular “Pause for Thought” slot on Terry Wogan’s Show on BBC Radio 2; reaching 8.2 million listeners in the process. Here is a small excerpt from her piece: “They had all grouped together and were obviously bewildered. Our seven year old daughter, with tears rolling down her cheeks, took me aside. “I don’t think I can do this,” she cried. Some gentle and encouraging words later we found a hen that wasn’t too bald for her to rescue. Our son chose a hen that had only one eye, “I doubt anyone will want to give her a home.” Our nine year old daughter was matter of fact: “I’ll take any hens,” she said firmly, “They all need a home.” It made me tingle to read about such caring children and what hope for the future. Before trekking off to report from Iran Catherine Nixey wrote an excellent upbeat article about the girls for the Times Magazine in March and Helena from the BBC, who has some of our ex-bats, was there at the re-launch of our Eggsellence Award in Kent – you’ll hear more about that later. Three positive stories, written factually but with great understanding and care.

We also had slots on BBC Radio Northants and Cumbria; then Adele went live on air on BBC Radio Lancs - when she explained how as a general rule she picked up 360 hens at a time, the presenter commented on her tremendous strength and needless to say the giggles ensued; thankfully she did manage to regain decorum!

We also appeared in Country Life, Practical Poultry, Kitchen Garden, Smallholder and Waitrose Illustrated.

Finally, Home Farmer, a magazine aimed at the growing number of people who are looking for a better quality of life, healthier eating etc celebrated its first anniversary by carrying a 10p donation to the BHWT for every April issue sold. A lovely gesture from a lovely magazine; our thanks to Ruth Tott and Paul Peacock for their kindness.

You may recall in the last issue that Ondine Walter-Browne’s hens regularly send us their egg monies; well having seen themselves in the newsletter, Richard here in the office received another email from the lovely layers of Clacton-on-Sea:

“Chance, Clover, Daisy, Dandelion, Hope & Joy would like to say thank you for their mention in the recent newsletter. They are coping well with their new-found celebrity status and are sending more of their egg money as they are still very much in touch with their roots and have not forgotten where they came from! Many thanks from six much-loved exbats.” The email was accompanied by another £50 donation – those girls are popping eggs for England it seems!

They’ve got competition though – Cobi & Mark Snelson’s hens have managed to raise £100 in egg monies! Yay!

Cobi & Mark Snelson

Dandelion...taking it easy!

Supporter, David Cox, gave the charity confidence for the future by leaving a gift in his Will; he also called into the office a few weeks ago and gave me a lovely matching chicken mug, coaster and teapot along with a donation and card with kind and encouraging words. How lucky are we.

All places are now filled in the BUPA 10k in May, thank you to everyone who applied, and we have seven runners currently getting fit around the country. Trixy Gallagher made us laugh with her training programme:

“I was so pleased you picked me to do this run! It's just 3 months since I had my baby & we have started enthusiastically training together (me running round the village with the pram)! You'll be delighted to hear that I have already smashed my Just Giving target of £500! Everyone knows how passionate I am about my lovely chickens, & how hard we are trying, so they've been extremely generous. I've plenty more people to pester yet, so I've raised it to £750... Raising money & getting my figure back - yay! Anyway, thanks for the bits you sent me in the post. I'll be donning the T-shirt for my run!” Trixy has a page on the Justgiving site at www.justgiving.com/trixy. She’s already a winner in our eyes and a great illustration of the fantastic proactive support we get!

We also have another five fab fundraisers who are making the most of the Justgiving website. Toni Clarkson, Lisa Cornish and Anna Allen will all be taking part in the Bupa 10,000 fun run in London on 25th May; super fit Angie Evans will be running for the BHWT once again in the Flora London Marathon on 26th April and Jo Cowper and Lucy Patterson are doing the Exeter half marathon on Sunday 3rd of May. To sponsor any of our wonderful runners simply visit their Justgiving pages at www.justgiving.com/bhwt .

Trixy Gallagher and daughter Tallulah on their morning run.

Finally in our fundraising section, I want to remember a much loved supporter, who sadly died recently. Rita McCabe followed my progress long before I had formed the charity; she trusted me and always gave me her steadfast support. Rita used to write articles for magazines and if a piece was published, would donate the proceeds to help more girls enjoy a happy retirement. I met her several times and on one occasion she Rita presented me with a framed photo of some of my special hens which had appeared in a local paper; she was truly a kind and thoughtful lady. Rita’s family have subsequently donated in her memory and I think Rita would be well pleased to know that over £300 will be helping even more girls enjoy a free range retirement.

BHWT Eggsellence Award

It’s back – well it never went away really, we just struggled to keep pace with its popularity. We’ve now re-launched our Eggsellence Award and hope to be able to present our prestigious certificate to any eating establishment, whatever its pedigree, that uses only free range eggs in its catering.

To get us kickstarted again Jayne Cox presented our first Eggsellence Award to Pembroke College in Cambridgeshire. Catering Manager, David Harwood, was delighted to receive the Award and explained that even hidden eggs used as ingredients in the menus, like pasta and mayonnaise, contained only free range eggs. “We’re delighted to be recognised by the BHWT. For several years now Pembroke College has been at the forefront of ethical catering in Cambridge. The decision to only sell free-range chicken and eggs is one of many ethically focused business decisions we have made. Our ethical and nutritionally focused ethos has received widespread support from our student body as well as a growing interest amongst green officers and students from many other Cambridge Colleges.” Helena Noifeld from BBC Radio Kent attended the presentation of an Award to the Twig & Spoon restaurant in Ash, Kent. Helena was able to interview the restauranteur, Sandie de Rougemont; the farmer, Andrew and even got some lovely background chatter from his flock of free rangers! Her report was broadcast in April. This particular presentation gave me a lot of personal satisfaction; it took me a long time to win Andrew’s trust, but we have been working with him and his wife for several years now, taking his caged birds before slaughter. Helena initially questioned us giving an award to a farmer who still produces caged eggs and it gave me great pleasure to explain that Andrew is a perfect example of a British farmer with the courage to invest in free range systems and raise welfare for the birds. He perfectly represents those we should be supporting not condemning. A few weeks later Jayne took a trip to London and presented an Eggsellence Award to our Patrons, Harbour & Jones at one of their clients, St Paul’s Cathedral no less! Harbour & Jones do a great job in promoting high quality and high welfare and it is a pleasure not just to present them with the Award, but to be associated with such a impressive company.

Jayne presenting the Harbour & Jones team with the BHWT Eggsellence Award

Three eggsellent examples of Eggsellence Award recipients I think you’ll agree! It’s going to take us a little time, but we will endeavour to expand the list of eating establishments on our website; we’ll be asking for your suggestions next time around.

Hen Parties Volunteer, Jayne Cox, has been busy. In between presenting Eggsellence Awards and researching consumer issues, she’s been holding hen parties on our behalf too. Jayne holds parties every 6 weeks or so and anyone interested can contact Jayne at [email protected] or telephone her on 01234 714697 (9am – 5pm Mon – Fri only please). If you’re on the east side of the country our lovely support co-ordinator Lesley Austin also offers Hen School help for beginners and you can contact Lesley at [email protected] or by phone on 01473 657493 (Mon/Wed & Thurs 9am – 7pm).

Egg Sarnies … how d’you like yours? For goodness sake, we all know what makes for a perfect egg sarnie. I had a simply scrumptious one for lunch the other day, happened to mention it to my colleagues and the debate ensued – with gusto! What constitutes a sumptious sarnie? Well, I’m a traditionalist so it’s chopped egg, dollop of mayo, some black pepper and really fresh soft sliced bread – easy peasy! According to my colleagues, however, I’m utterly uncultured and the following options were suggested: fried egg, tomato ketchup and seasoning (yuck); egg and crisps in doorstep bread (a possibility); the one that caught my attention was Jules’ Auntie May’s recipe – chopped egg, mayo, spring onions and cheese all combined and slapped between some nice wholemeal … now that sounds like it’s worth trying! If you think you have a better recipe for an egg sarnie, let us know and if it passes the office taste team (we’re tough and old habits die hard, so it’ll need to be good), we’ll print it! And then, of course, there’s the dilemma of egg on toast – just how do you avoid wasted yummy yolk dribbles…answers on a postcard please?!

Lynette Brimble’s hen Muriel loves daisies!

We all know just how much our girls enjoy a little gardening so here are a few photos to illustrate the point!

Betty and Gladys th ink Sarah Tarrant’s boarders need a little henny pest control.

“Sorry cant stop … lots of gardening to do you know!” Shar on Hughes hen is on a mission.

Kristian’s hens take a well earned shady break.

“You've forgotten to put any flowers in this pot” says Claire Morgan’s little hen.

Jackie Jones’ lucky hens want you to know “ we’re not dead...we’re enjoying ourselves! ” Jenny’s girls love the way the fuchsia sets off their love ly red combs.

Helen Simmon’s laydeez Anode and Cathode get stuck in to the digging.

On the menu this time: some interesting news about free range eggs, liquid egg and we’re stepping up our campaign to persuade Mr. Kipling to start baking free range. Office of National Statistics The Office of National Statistics regularly carries out surveys on behalf of the Government, data from the surveys is used to analyse the changing lifestyles and shopping trends of UK consumers as well as calculate inflation rates. Since its inception in 1947, the official ‘British shopping basket’ has always used caged eggs as one of the ‘basic’ basket items, but for the 2009 ‘Basket’ there has been a small but very significant change … ‘free range’ has replaced ‘cage’. Is this evidence of how you are influencing trends by voting with your purses … you BET it is; and we love it! Thank you. Liquid Egg Oaklands, one of the biggest egg producers in the UK , has recently introduced pasteurised egg in liquid form; the product is being marketed as ‘Egg in an Instant’.It comes in handy to use fresh fruit juice style 1kg cartons (equivalent to 20 medium shell eggs) and is aimed mainly at students who want something cheap and convenient . You’ll find it in the chiller cabinets at supermarkets and we’re very pleased to see Oaklands offer a free range version. However, we’re a bit disappointed they leave it to us to spot the difference in their similar packaging as they do a non free range version too, simply labelled ‘fresh egg’ – confirmed as caged! Hmm, we support your innovative idea Oaklands, but would appreciate a little more clarity when it comes to marketing please! The cost for 1kg of liquid caged egg is £1.40, with just 30p more for the free range version at £1.70. Cost per egg equates to 7p for caged and 8.5p for free range! Your choice...

Mr Kipling isn't listening hard enough so we’ve decided to try a new approach and would like you to join our positive FEATHER CAMPAIGN. We want you to cut out our suggested letter below, stick on a special feather to represent your free range hens and post it to Mr Kipling’s Customer Care Manager. We hope the feathers will do more than tickle him, and persuade Mr Kipling that we want British free range eggs in our cakes! We'd love to know how many feather letters Mr Kipling receives so please drop an email to me at [email protected] to let me know when you post yours. Thanks!

Customer Care Manager Mr Kipling Cakes Fish Dam Lane Carlton BARNSLEY South Yorkshire S71 3HQ

YOUR ADDRESS

Date:

Dear Sir A FEATHER FOR FREE RANGE! We, the undersigned are ex-battery hens now enjoying a free range retirement thanks to the work of the Battery Hen Welfare Trust, the UK’s only registered charity for caged hens . The BHWT have helped over 135,000 of us to enjoy a second chance in life since they began in April 2005. Along with our hen keepers we believe you should help our working colleagues, currently stuck in their cages, by introducing a range of Mr Kipling products using free range eggs, preferably British ones! You claim to make exceedingly good cakes, but we don’t think you currently use exceedingly good eggs. We would be grateful if you would respond to our keeper, YOUR NAME………………….to inform her/him if you intend to start sourcing free range eggs; there is a serious message in this lighthearted letter. Thank you, we look forward to hearing from you and sincerely hope that Mr Kipling will soon join other leading food manufacturers who are using free range eggs as ingredients. Yours faithfully

STICK YOUR FEATHER ABOVE AND WRITE THE NAME OF EACH OF YOUR HENS UNDERNEATH Battery Hen Welfare Trust Registered charity No: 1109060

Well in the case of eggs it is. Yet for some peculiar reason consumers in the UK have a penchant for enormous eggs. Whether people think they’re getting extra value for money or big egg equals big taste, I’m not sure, but extra large eggs often have whites that are watery with fragile shells and have nothing to recommend them other than sheer size! The supermarkets of course also play their part in cajoling us into buying ‘big’ to make us think they’re giving us a good deal … are we that easily led? Medium eggs usually have the edge on quality all round and most importantly are a bit less stressful for the hen to lay (Mums with big babies will probably be nodding right now)! Because of demand for extra large, hens are sometimes encouraged through breeding and feeding to lay bigger eggs and this constant trend could lead to complications such as egg peritonitis over an extended period. When this story hit the nationals a few weeks ago, there was uproar that farmers were treating hens cruelly again by making them lay big eggs, it offered great potential for a bit more sensationalism. Yet, d’you know the real reason the story was made public? Because the industry finds it tricky to keep pace with demand for extra large eggs and wanted to encourage consumers to buy mediums to help with the flow and ease pressure on the girls at the same time! Is it that bad they ask us for our help and explain why? It flabbergasts me that journalists can get us all in a tizzy over something so simple: there’s ever such an easy solution to this unnecessary dilemma for both hens and farmers … BUY MEDIUM EGGS! Couldn’t really be any more straightforward could it, so please tell your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues medium really is beautiful, especially where eggs are concerned!

A Rescued Hen says Thank You

aka

by Jill Pendleton Are you the one that rescued me? Are you the one who came? I want to say a thank you. But I don’t know your name

[email protected] That’s what our national Careline has affectionately become known! The Smallholder team have reported a steadily increasing flow of calls and enquiries from our re-homers and it’s incredibly reassuring to hear again and again just how much you all care for your girls. Thank you.

Thank you for coming to take me. Away from that cage with no space Thank you for taking me under your wing and bringing me here to this place

Please note the Careline cannot help with adoption enquiries.

We’ve been on a terrible journey. Folks bury their heads in the sand As long as the price on the egg box is low, that’s all they understand

The new Smallholder website is now up and running too and you can buy the Ex-Bats feeds direct if you wish by visiting www.smallholderfeed.co.uk, although of course many of you already know that!

Thank you for getting up early and thank you so much that you care We didn’t know life ‘til you found us. Kind people, clean bedding, fresh air

There is also an opportunity to download another £3 voucher by following this link at http:// www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/Promotion.aspx; a voucher will be posted direct, but please remember it’s only one per person.

But now we live in a garden, we move and it’s green and there’s sky Our feathers are shabby, our wings may be weak, but give us time and we’ll fly You gave us your care and I thank you. You did what most people would shun On behalf of my fellow ex-battery hens… our lives have at last … really begun.

Adas – Part I – the amusing bit A few months ago my colleague, Lisa, and I attended an ADAS (Agricultural Development and Advisory Service) presentation (in association with Defra) to learn more about the options open to UK caged producers when the 2012 ban is implemented. We’d pre-booked our attendance, arrived at the hotel venue in time for pre-meeting refreshments and were immediately greeted by Jason Gittins, ADAS Poultry Specialist, responsible for the presentation. Small talk ensued … until Jason politely asked our flock size; Lisa advised her flock size was 20 and mine about 60 and informed Jason we were in fact from the Battery Hen Welfare Trust. Well, I wish you could have seen the look on Jason’s face as he took a step back in fright – ‘had we been invited?’ he enquired. ‘Did reception know we were here?’ It took a few minutes to reassure Jason that we didn’t have balaclavas and crowbars in our handbags, persuade him our removal was unnecessary and explain we were genuinely interested to find out more about how caged producers would fare post the cage ban. The room slowly filled as the meeting was due to commence … and the really sweet end to this little anecdote is that Lisa and I knew every single caged producer that arrived! We greeted and chatted with them in our usual manner, debated the pros and cons of investment as we sipped our tea. Needless to say, Jason was looking a little less sweaty by the time we left!

Adas – Part II – the really serious bit Unfortunately this part isn’t amusing in the slightest. Whilst none of us will be sad to see the end of barren cages in 2012, the reality is our cage ban will result in countries outside the EU simply incarcerating millions more hens in the very barren cages we are banning! Right now countries like Russia and the Ukraine are gearing up to fill the gap our ban may create and in some cases are even buying our redundant cage units in order that they can squash more birds in them and export cheap eggs to us where they will be hidden in processed foods. Hmm. There is only one way we can guarantee eggs laid by these birds don’t end up on our supermarket shelves here in the UK and that’s by supporting our British producers – all of them. It’s also why its so important we persuade the likes of Mr Kipling that we want his exceedingly good cakes made with exceedingly good eggs! We’re in danger of repeating what has happened to the UK pig industry when both Government and welfare bodies imposed strict welfare regulations on our farmers, resulting in the near collapse of the domestic industry and booming pork production in EU countries using farming standards we consider cruel and unacceptable. This well intended welfare initiative may have improved pig welfare in the UK, but it allowed massive growth in substandard husbandry outside our control. A hollow victory in my view. The consumer is always king – if we opt for high welfare eggs, that’s what we’ll get.

These photos of hens living in a lorry were taken in Greece recently and whilst not a legal way to farm those hens are for real

I know you are well aware of eggs hidden in food products, but friends, family, colleagues, neighbours may not be. We need you to help educate those consumers currently buying products without a second thought. If you have some of our ex-bats, to borrow corporate speak for a minute – “use their interpersonal skills”! We all know they’re the best way to win hearts and minds. In time we can and will collectively change the way hens are farmed …let’s get as many outside free ranging as we possibly can and let’s ensure we don’t encourage caged production in countries where we have absolutely no control over welfare. Right I’ll step down off the soapbox for now, but I’ll be back … my passion for these delightful, brown, feathery things extends to hens wherever they may be and whatever language they squawk in so you can be sure I’ll be shouting out for them again as the cage ban draws nearer!

AND HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR THE BHWT Our newsletter has a circulation of over 5,000 now and this reaches many people who keep hens. If you are interested in seeing our rate card, please get in touch with Lisa Pope at [email protected] for further information. Please note: not all ads will be accepted.

First two weeks…

Amanda Baines sent this lovely story.

After collecting my four little oven readies I placed them in their new residence where they stood quietly and stared with great intent - on what remains a mystery. They are a joy and are fast developing their own characters. To that end I have named them as follows; Hoppity (came with a Amanda Baines limp) Winnie (sounds like a horse) Rusty (grating hinge) and Madge (natural WI leader and a tad bossy with a bit of gung-ho to boot) They are now confidently negotiating the ramp to their sleeping quarters for which I am mightily thankful. Until yesterday I was having to get into the coop myself and educate the girls in the fine art of going up and down. No joke in a gap that is no more than eighteen inches high and three feet wide. (It was at this point that I became aware that my girth had increased somewhat and that Action Must Be Taken Forthwith!) This morning I noticed what I thought was bruising on all my girls. Most concerning! However when returning with my trusty tube of Arnica and with contact lenses now in place, the true nature of the situation was revealed. The darkening on their little bodies was the triumphant emergence of feathers! Hurrah!! The new feed does exactly what it says on the bag!! After a settling in period, I took the plunge and let them out. Naturally Madge led the way. It was a joy to see them soaking up the rays and scratching at the ground. The whole episode was fraught with adventure: a low flying and rather wheezy pigeon passed overhead which caused amazement in some quarters and much disapproval from Madge. Winnie tiptoed round the back of the coop and managed to gently thread herself through the fence and get stuck. In my attempt to retrieve her me and my girth nearly met the same fate. Disaster! However the crisis was averted, I wised up and blocked the escape route. Within the short time I've had them, they're fitter, I’m fitter and I have realized that Chickenastics could be a whole new craze . The girls and I will be honed to perfection in the not too distant future. I feel the front cover of Chicken Weekly beckoning!

Madge (left) and Hoppity.

We love all the heartwarming stories and kind comments we get from our supporters, here’s just a few that have come in

Hen sitting I am trying to persuade people in the village to take some of your hens; most friends say they would love some but are concerned about when they go on holiday. When we went away I had three people coming in on different mornings, in the afternoons someone else called to collect eggs and check all was well; then another to put them to bed. One night this person was a bit late and the hens had put themselves to bed in the bushes; it took her, her husband and two friends 90 minutes to find them! Not only that, but I had to have the whole army of volunteers over for a 4 course meal. That was expensive enough but the wine bill was at least twice that, never mind the effort in cooking and serving such a large meal! However, there is light at the end of the tunnel! We found a lady just a mile away who looks after hens for 50p per chicken a night - Heaven! So now when I try to persuade someone they will have no excuse. I’d like to print the poem by Lee Laker in your Spring issue in our local village magazine; I just think that it could persuade a few people who are considering hens but can't make up their minds. Regards, Hettie Dibbin

Some of Hettie’s happy family

The Ugly Duckling? Melanie Nelson runs a swan sanctuary in Surrey and recently took on some of our ex-bats; here’s her news: The chickens are bringing great delight to everyone who has Ready, steady... watched them since they JUMP! arrived. We get three eggs a day which are greatly sought after. Liberty is the adventurer and can frequently be found sitting with a swan. I just hope she doesn't think she is the main character in 'the ugly duckling' because she may be a bit disappointed! Many thanks. Mel

Weeeeee… I bet you can’t do that Mrs Swan!

A Sweet Tale Dear BHWT, I can’t tell you how happy and excited we are to have our gorgeous girls in the family. I have been planning to rescue ex-bats for a few weeks, buying the coop, clearing up the garden, educating ourselves about the care of chickens, feed, bedding and making everything just perfect before the collection date. The day was a wonderful experience if a little emotional and as for the journey home - I have never driven so slowly, (I even put up my new baby nephew’s sign up in my back windscreen: ‘baby on board’)! The following day we were very surprised to have received 4 eggs! And I’m proud to say we have only had one day since without somebody laying. I am so glad I listened to my heart and not those who advised against getting ex battery hens because of possible health problems. I can put those people right and tell them what a difference a week can make. My family’s number one priority every morning is now the hens, it’s a race for my son and I to see who gets to let them out. And I often catch my husband "having a word with them" too; I can honestly say we all just love them! Sharon's sweet girls

Many thanks and kind regards, Sharon Sweet + happy family

Hen Therapy This from a BHWT supporter:

“I'm going to be serious for a few lines, I was a bailiff enforcing warrants for four years and I started to lose faith in people, society and the world in general. My wonderful wife, Jo, knew I was developing a bad depression and decided I would take some time off and quit my job. Jo encouraged me in my gardening and I know now that the girls were also part of her devious plan. I have a strong protective streak and Jo knew as soon as the girls arrived and I saw them, it would kick in. The constant source of laughter and joy the girls brought as day by day we all got a little better - them and me – together with my new job makes so much more right with the world. Thank you for your part in helping me re-join the human race (previously expelled for being stroppy) and for giving me my six little therapists along with my truly brilliant and wonderful wife who can be as fiercely protective and infinitely more subtle than I can ever be.” Anon This abridged email has been one of the most uplifting and rewarding stories I have heard - isn’t it amazing what these birds can do for us... Brolly Dear Lisa Just thought I would drop you a quick line to let you know how delighted we are with our new girls. Me and my children were so very excited on Saturday waiting for the arrival of our five new hens. My husband, however, was not at all happy as he had to be in the workshop doing the finishing touches to the hen house that we had designed; being a carpenter we had assigned him to the job. He missed both rugby finals on TV and could not drink the bottle of speckled hen beer we had brought him while still using his power tools!! The hen house was finished and furnished with straw and feeders just in time. They were here and even though they looked a little "shell shocked" (ha ha) they loved their new found freedom. As a thank you Brolly (see picture), named because her comb is over her head like an umbrella, laid an egg within the hour. Funny how an egg sandwich and a bottle of beer can change the mood of a grumpy carpenter!!!!!!!! Thank you for all the work you do for these lovely creatures Best Wishes, Angie Townsend, Fittleworth West Sussex

Brolly

Lilly

Miss BHWT Ex-Bat 2009 Well, talk about handbags at dawn … it’s been a hard fought contest but the Co-ordinators have finally accepted the winner of our BHWT ExBat 2009 Contest! We had attempts at vote rigging, multi voting, extra Lilly, sporting layers of make-up for enhanced her best new beauty … ahem, not mentioning any daywear. names whatsoever, but Adele’s comment that Gloria ‘made her do it’ didn’t hold sway with the Committee whatsoever! Consequently, I’m delighted to announce that with an overwhelming number of votes for little Lilly, she is our BHWT Miss Ex-bat for the year! With your help Little Lilly raised over £250. THANK YOU.

Lilly’s loving owner is Michelle Boulton our brilliant Cornish Co-ordinator. Michelle said “Lilly has always been a very special and pretty little hen to me; I am chuffed that many other people think so too!”

Our lovely runners up were...

Sheila

Sheila:

Scrumpy

Scrumpy:

Living with Lesley Austin our fab Essex support co-ordinator. Lesley said “I am

Living with Michelle Garner our excellent Bristol Co-ordinator. Michelle said: “ Scrumpy and I are

absolutely thrilled to hear that my beautiful Sheila has won 2nd place. I could not be more proud of her! Despite her obvious disabilities she is more loved than you could know!”

delighted at her achievement in coming 3rd in the beauty contest. Congratulations also to Lilly on winning this prestigious award – well done!

Chicken Little...House hen! Chicken Little’s story is a particularly charming (and funny) one, beautifully recounted by our Essex Co-ord Jean Gill. If you would like to sponsor Chicken Little for yourself or as a present for a friend, please either visit our website or call Ann Osborne on 01189 425050 (9am – 5pm weekdays only please).

No Knickers showing of her lovely warm new feathers

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.

And Finally Merry

We recently took some hens from a Devon farm and one sprightly little hen was displaying some peculiar head movements, a sort of mild tremor. As usual we kept her back to observe her and she’s still here in my hospital waiting for a new home … trouble is she has a rather endearing quality in that she walks round in a big circle (left hand only) and she’s tugged the heartstrings of all of us here. She’s in with 3 others all recovering from bruising but it’s her sense of purpose in striding out that gets the ‘awww’ every time; they’d make a lovely little flock for some caring re-homer. Problem is I’ve made the mistake of giving her a name: Merry (as in ‘go round’) and she seems to be so settled … it’d be a shame to move her on again … wouldn’t it…?