The Great Chook Rescue

Be part of the Great Chook Rescue - Only one day to go to give rescued battery chickens a home of their own.  If you are interested in saving some of these hens and welcoming them into your backyard, you need to act fast!

To save a chook, call (03) 5629 1188 during business hours. 

THOUSANDS of chickens will be coming home to roost, thanks to a woman who's trying to find homes for more than 46,000 battery hens.

When Julie Smith heard a local poultry farmer would be destroying his flock of 52,000 chickens in early September - a common practice to maximise egg production as hens lay the most eggs in their first year of laying - she decided to do something about it.

At first, she put a sign in the window of the pet shop she owns in Garfield, Pawz on Main, on the western edge of Gippsland. But when her friend Dani Curry saw the sign and put the appeal on Facebook, it snowballed.

"Initially, I thought it would be great if I could rehome 100," Ms Smith said. As of yesterday, they'd rehoused 5345.

"It's fantastic. I'm amazed at how many we have rehomed. They will make wonderful pets," she said, adding that she appreciated the farmer letting her save the chickens instead of selling them for pet food or fertiliser.

The Highline breed chickens are 18 months old and available for a flat rate of $10 per pick-up from Garfield, whether people are adopting one or 100.

Potential owners must provide assurances they will keep the chicken as a pet or egg-layer. They need a small amount of room to scratch around, fresh food, and a locked coop at night to protect from foxes and other predators.

"We are having a vet check all the chickens and any that are sick will be treated or (put down)," Ms Smith said. 

"The other chickens may take a couple of weeks to recover, but with some good sunshine and food they will continue to lay three to four eggs a week."

Mother of two Tonia Dudzik said she was moved to adopt four chickens after hearing of their plight in an email from a friend.

"I've already got four chickens but I thought I could have four more. We live on three acres where they are free to roam around, so they will be perfectly happy here," Ms Dudzik said.

She said her children, Emily, 2, and Joshua, 7, loved their chickens.

"I think a lot of people who were already considering getting chickens would be happy to get ones that had been rescued like this," she said.

Time is running out to save them; August 31 is the cut-off for ordering. The culling truck will arrive at the poultry farm in early September, with the lucky few saved by Ms Smith loaded on to a separate truck for distribution.

For more information, call (03) 5629 1188 during business hours.

 

 

Reference: Original article

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