Twenty hens, liberated.

Out of a 'free range' shed and into the sunshine, with a few twists and turns along the way.

You can listen to me read this article by clicking play above.

Hello friends,

In a week of ups and downs, let’s start with the most fabulous news.

Last week twenty beautiful hens were liberated from an intensive ‘free range’ farm.

In this farm they couldn’t get outside or find any real space from the rest of the flock. They couldn’t settle into a pecking order, and all that awaited them was slaughter.

The girls settling into their quarantine area, trying to take it all in.

The rescue team did an amazing job.

Nineteen girls are settling into their forever homes beautifully.

They now live with trusted people who are part of the animal rights movement.

Their days will be filled with sunshine (hopefully), dust baths and a sense of peace.

Little Sweetheart was still alive in this photo taken shortly after her rescue

One darling girl was simply too sick.

She was found lying on the dirty floor, and she spent her final hours cushioned on blankets, warm, safe and surrounded by people who cared about her.

In those final few hours she didn’t have the strength to open her eyes, but I hope she felt safe. I wish she could have lived, but after everything she’d been through, I’m grateful she knew kindness from her carer before she died.

Odette’s carer took her to the vets so her ruptured eye could be removed

Three of the girls are sick.

Odette had a bad eye that had completely ruptured. This isn’t that unusual in packed barns where hens often peck each other.

Imagine the pain she must have been in. Today her carer took her for surgery to remove the eye. The poor girl has a lot of swelling but she will be feeling better soon.

Nell, now receiving treatment for severe bumblefoot

Nell has severe bumblefoot and again, she must have been in intense pain for some time. She will be into the vets on Thursday for a debridement surgery.

Marsali enjoying warmth and comfort

And then there is dear Marsali, who has a very sore leg and isn’t feeling the best. Her forever carer has a vet appointment for her tomorrow, and she is currently on pain relief and enjoying the warmth of being inside at night.

It is a lot to process. One of the rescue team summed things up very well when she said:

‘I am bloody fuming. Out of all the girls we rescued, one has already passed away, and 2 others are, according to the vet, in excruciating pain. We only walked about 10 paces, if that. I can’t imagine what other horrors were hiding further in that disgusting shed.’

Whilst every life saved is so very worth it, it is always a horrible feeling to leave so many behind. Especially when you know that, whilst it is horrible, the farm is meeting Australian egg farming standards. Yes it’s cruel, but it is not illegal.

What a world.

Ginger’s great escape

Rescue never seems to allow us just one emotion at a time. We can be taking a moment to process the state of hens saved from a hell hole, and then be bursting out laughing because someone is causing absolute chaos.

This week that someone was Ginger the pig.

I noticed her with a big stick by the fence of her paddock, which is next to the front garden. She loves collecting sticks, flowers and leaves for her nest. But she was there for a while. I went back to pottering around inside, doing the endless blanket washing.

When David got home from the shops, Ginger was there to greet him as usual. But not by her paddock fence, by the front garden gate.

She was worn out by that point and ready for a belly rub. From the piggy footprints in the mud, she’d clearly been galloping around the front garden, splashing in the duck pools and raiding the garage for a good hour. Having an absolute ball!

Upon closer inspection, she had used the stick to snap off each cable tie that connected the fence to the fence wire, one by one, and then pushed underneath. I was a little exasperated, but also very impressed.

After her belly rub she followed us back into her paddock looking very proud indeed, and proceeded to get more cuddles.

This is life at a rescue, I guess. I never know what emotion is around the corner. One minute I’m so overwhelmed I’m bawling my eyes out whilst distributing the feed and water, and the next I’m giggling at Ginger’s antics.

The goshawks

And then the roosters start sounding the alarm, because a danger is present.

We’ve lived at our permanent forever home, The Hen Haven, for almost three years, and until recently I’d never seen a brown goshawk on the property. But over the last two weeks a pair has visited almost every day from about 12.30pm to 4pm.

The roosters spot them first. Forty-two roosters aren’t the greatest when you’re having an anxious moment or have a headache, but they do make an effective security system.

An alarm call goes up, and even if it’s only a small sound, David and I are attuned to their calls and we’re outside scanning the sky in a shot, reaching for the boat horn. If we’re out there without the horn we start barking, whooping and clapping our hands. The chickens aren’t scared of our shouts anymore. I think they know we’re protecting them. The neighbours, on the other hand…

All our pigeons, young, elderly or disabled chickens are under wire reinforced, netted enclosures. We haven’t had any casualties, but it only takes one time and one time is too many.

I don’t have the tens of thousands of dollars required to net the whole property, so I am focusing on deterrents and protection. I’m ordering as much net as I can and working out where it’s possible to net first. I also checked the entire pigeon enclosure and reinforced it.

I stood on guard at the weekend whilst David went out to buy some battery operated radios and holographic reflective ribbons. None of these are guarantees, but there are plenty of stories of them helping, and I have to say the hawks haven’t been by in the last few days since we installed them.

I wouldn’t say it makes the sanctuary the most relaxing place, with talk radio blaring and silver holographic tape making it look like a tacky Santa’s grotto, but it is having an effect. My main aim is to stop the pair building a nest here, because of course once they have babies I can’t scare them away safely without risking the little ones.

Researching how to keep hawks away has been its own kind of upsetting. On the backyard chicken pages (the ones that aren’t rescues), you see upsetting comments again and again. There are the people who don’t really mind when they have a predator attack, who shrug and say they’ll just get a few more hens next time, as though the girls are stock to be topped up.

And there are the people who reach for a gun and laugh about not telling anyone when they use it on the hawks, or who make jokes about chicken dinners. I find it so hard to read.

I will not allow any of my animal family to be hurt, and I will never harm the hawk.

I love seeing wild animals living free lives. I think goshawks are magnificent. I just wish they would stay away from the Hen Haven.

The other day, as I approached the hawk clapping my hands and saying, ‘Go away, you,’ I saw him staring through the net at a wild pigeon who had taken refuge inside one of our netted rooster enclosures. I found myself desperately willing the pigeon to stay hidden. When the hawk flew away, I felt relieved. Then I felt a moment of concern for the hawk feeling hungry. That pretty much sums up my relationship with nature. It all makes me deeply sad. Yes, it is full of beauty, but is is also full of suffering.

Oh I know I’m being a misery guts.

I know the goshawk isn’t weighing up ethical arguments before she hunts. Our resident barking owl isn’t wondering about the sweet bond between the mother rat and her teenage babies who leap and play in the feed shed. They are simply doing what they evolved to do. But I don’t have to like it. If there is some kind of designer of the universe they may be clever, but they are also very cruel.

I’m glad that as humans we don’t have to go along with the cruelty. Whatever our nature may be, we have the ability to reflect on it. To ask the moral questions. To choose compassion even when it costs us something. That is exactly why I have never found 'it's natural' a convincing reason to eat animals. All sorts of things are natural, including some of the most beautiful things and some of the most horrific. What matters to me is not what we are capable of doing, but what we choose to do.

In moments of overwhelm such as when dealing with the hawks, or financial worry I often wish the sanctuary was so much smaller. At the same time, I am glad every animal who is here was saved and I truly adore them all.

I guess my own regrets are part of why I’m so passionate about the microsanctuary movement. If someone asked my advice on starting a sanctuary right now, I would say start tiny, and stay as small as you can.

Make sure you can budget for all the animals, including emergencies, without help. Donations will be a wonderful support, but you won’t have a panic attack if they don’t come.

Tiny Sanctuary, Big Impact Melbourne Tickets Available!

And so I can now announce that tickets for our next Tiny Sanctuary, Big Impact workshop are on sale. Woohoo!

We’re coming to Melbourne!

I think it’s going to be our best workshop yet, so please do book a ticket if you can make it, or tell your Melbourne friends who might be interested.

https://www.trybooking.com/DNCKC

I’m not sure we’ll be able to sell tickets without Facebook and Instagtam, but let’s see.

If you’d like to help, you could share the event on your own socials with the image above (or any image you prefer) and the link. I would be so grateful. My mental health hasn’t been great lately, and I’ve been doing a lot of work to help it, but I know Facebook and Insta tend to make it a lot worse, so I’m putting that off as long as possible.

Randy’s recovery

Last week I told you about gorgeous rooster Randy, who had an awful sour crop and choking incident. I was ready to rush him to the vet.

Well, in an almost unheard of scenario, he recovered on his own. After the immediate blockage was clear, we brought him inside and by the time the vet appointment came, the smell disappeared. Now he is back to his bright self, eating and pooping normally. Yay! If only all medical issues could be solved so easily.

An update on Gretel

I kept the young girls away whilst Gretel ate the egg so she got it all to herself today.

Many of you have been following Gretel’s story for some time now. Our 8.5 year old ex-battery hen, who was rescued with a broken wing.

After months of nursing her through heart disease and reproductive issues, I think we are near the end. I never make these decisions lightly. Like a very elderly person, she is prone to secondary issues now.

When I gently open her beak for her meds it causes slight bruising. And now she seems unable to digest her food.

I noticed yesterday morning, when I went to crop feed her, that her crop was still full and a bit hard. I just crop fed some water. That evening it was still full. And this morning it was clear no more food had gone through. This means her digestive system is shutting down.

She really enjoyed her egg this morning and she ate a few torn up greens too, but she isn’t interested in other food, and I don’t want to put too much into her crop when she can’t process it. She is mostly sleeping, although she did enjoy the sun today.

Whilst it may sound like she could pass naturally soon (and she might), I have heard too many times of hens whose bodies make them suffer for weeks. I don’t want that ending for Gretel. If her food goes down, or if there is a change, I will change my decision, but I think tomorrow is the day we say goodbye.

So, as I said, a week of big ups and big downs.

Any donations or paid subscriptions would be so gratefully received at this time, as we face vet bills and the cost of extra netting to keep everyone safe.

With the end of the financial year almost here, now is a meaningful time to give if you are able. And a huge thank you to those of you who already support. https://henrescue.org/donate

Until next week, sending you bunny binkies, piggy honks and a gentle preening from a rescued hen,

Love Catherine x