By Lizzy McEllan
A BALDING battery hen has become the 20,000th bird in York to be re-homed after living in “rancid” cage conditions.
Volunteers from the British Hen Welfare Trust rescued 540 hens from a battery farm in Chesterfield on Saturday morning.
The hens – who were saved from slaughter – were transported to safety at Low Moor Farm in Sand Hutton, where 90 people arrived to adopt and re-home them.
Ronnie Morritt, the area collection co-ordinator for BHWT, said: “It makes me very happy, but then equally I know that we have left thousands behind that won’t have ever seen grass or wind or sun or rain.
“This is our 48th re-homing and we’ve now had 20,000 hens adopted here. It’s a lot of work but I don’t think we’ll be stopping anytime soon!”
The 20,000th hen was adopted by Ruth Beckett, who has already adopted 12 battery hens from the charity.
She said: “It’s such a special moment. It’s not just bringing hens into your life. It’s giving hens a chance to live as nature intended them to live.
“It’s a very special moment. I just can’t get over how exciting it is. It really is very, very special.”
Details about battery hen re-homing with BHWT can be found at: www.bhwt.org.uk