My name is Mac and yes, I was named after the character from ‘Chicken run’. I started my life as a laying hen in an enriched cage along with some friends.
Early one morning in February 2021, I was removed from my cage and placed in a transport box with some of my friends. The transport box was loaded onto a van with lots of other boxes, loads of my friends were there too.
I was eventually dropped off at the collection point and I rushed out of the crate and into what the humans called a ‘hen bank’, it was lovely, there was loads of food and water, an egg box and two roosting boxes. The bark chippings on the ground felt strange under my feet as I had never felt this sort of ground before. I was also a bit cold as the ‘hen bank’ was outside and I had lost a lot of my feathers but I soon settled in and started to find my way around.
After a while a couple of humans came and caught me. They placed me carefully in a cardboard box together with one other of my friends Babs. My journey to my new forever home had started. After a short ride, the box containing Babs and I was unloaded from the car. The next thing was to see the sun light, the grass and the trees. I was gently lifted into the back of a brand new ‘Cube’ and given some more food and water. The front door to the Cube was open and outside I could see the grass. I felt a little scared at first. The ladder down from the cube was a bit steep but I managed to negotiate it with a bit of fluttering and there I was on the grass and in the sun for the first time.
After a while I even experimented with a little dust and sun bathing (chicken puddle). When it came to night time my new owners had to come and put me back in the ‘Cube’ and shut the door because I didn’t know how to climb the ladder. After a few days I managed to work it out and then my owners decided to install an automatic door so I had to be careful to take myself in before the door closed.
I went on a special adventure with my friend Babs last summer. I went to the local village fete. I had cuddles with lots of lovely people and had a very special day out. Babs and I spent the day under a white gazebo. In the gazebo was hung some large boards with information and pictures about rescuing hens and round the edge was some crazy chicken bunting. My owners and their friends were also there telling people about hens and how to rescue them. They were even handing out chicken stickers to children that said ‘I cuddled a chicken’ and ‘I hugged a hen’. I made a lot of special friends that day.
I was kept, at first, in area surrounded by plastic chicken fencing but my owner’s dogs kept bouncing and trying to knock the fence over. There were also some scary foxes around which my owners’ discovered when they installed some run cameras. The decision was made to order and construct a predator proof walk in run. After the run was constructed, I found out how to use the new treadle feeder and how to climb on the perches and peer out at the world.
I have lived in my new home ever since. I have a lot of new friends to live with and my feathers have all grown back and I even have a lovely fluffy bum! I am now retired and enjoying my life.
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