She was such a good little layer… “Oh, she was such a good little layer!” These are the words we sadly hear time and again down the phone line when a caller asks us to take on their ‘beloved’ hens who no longer ‘earn their keep’ by laying their carer’s particular acceptable number of eggs. And we simply cannot tell you just how much our hearts ache to hear those words, whether from the hens’ carers or via a kind hearted pound worker to whom a similar story was relayed. You see, hens are far more than mere egg producing machines and the price some of their little bodies pay for this seemingly benign act can be enormous. For example, the lives of commercial laying hens are ended when they are only around 18 months of age, when they are no longer productive enough to yield a healthy profit, even though a hen can live for ten years or more if given the chance. And whilst a rare few of the 16 million laying hens in Australia are rescued and given the opportunity to lead long and happy lives (and yes, they may lay the odd egg) not all of them do. Such is the case with dear little Nessie and Bessie, who entered our sanctuary via an outer suburbs’ pound. They too may have been ‘good little layers’ once upon a time, however now dear Nessie’s body is now paying an enormous price for her ‘product’. You see, the Isa Brown, Hyline and Leghorn hens who commercially produce our eggs today are a far cry from their wild ancestor, the Asian Jungle Fowl. While the Jungle Fowl need only lay a handful of eggs each year to keep her species thriving, we humans in our wisdom (or lack thereof) have genetically ‘created’ a creature who now lays around 300 eggs per year. Even in her twilight years, a hen will lay far more eggs than nature ever intended and for this she does indeed pay an enormous price. Despite having only recently arrived, Little Nessie currently resides in our hospital ward, on antibiotics and pain relief after having over a kilogram of fluid (half her body weight) drained from her uterus. Nessie may once have been somebody’s “Good little layer,” however right now, when she needs them the most, that ‘somebody’ is nowhere to be seen. There is far more to the humble hen than her eggs. She may be inquisitive or she may be shy, she will no doubt love to hang out with her friends in the sun and to bathe in the dust. If given the chance, she will bond with her human carer and may even follow that lucky person around with as much devotion as your beloved pet dog. That dear hen is just as individual as you or I and there can be no doubt that she most certainly wants to live. So please, we ask if you are considering welcoming a rescued laying hen into your home, ensure that it is her you are welcoming and not her eggs and please be prepared to truly provide her with a good life for all of her days. For there is so much more to her than simply an egg. If we could live happy and healthy lives without harming others... why wouldnt we? edgarsmission.org.au Nessie Nessie Nessie
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 01:20:02 +0000
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