This Stunning Transformation of Rescued Battery Hens Will Make Your Heart Happy

In need of a pick-me-up kind of story, Green Monsters? Then look no further than this inspiring transformation of a group of hens who were once imprisoned in a battery egg-laying facility, but are now roaming free at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, NY!

This wonderful sanctuary was founded in late 2004 by Jenny Brown and Doug Abel, and has helped save the lives of countless sheep, pigs, cows, goats, chickens, and other farmed animals over the years. Staff and volunteers are thrilled about the improvement in their new hens’ health and vitality. On their Facebook page, they said: “After two long miserable years in battery cages at a factory farm, these girls are now living the life at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary.”

This picture shows the dire state that the hens were in prior to their rescue.

And just look at them now! That’s more like it!

Unfortunately, most people don’t realize the sort of horrific conditions that egg-laying hens endure in factory farms.  In these facilities, hens are crammed into cages with five to ten other chickens, each getting only space the size of an iPad to live in. This sort of stressful, filthy environment causes the hens to peck out their own feathers and act out against their cell mates. Given this, it comes as little surprise that most battery hens rarely live more than a few years.

This sort of life is especially tragic considering that chickens are not only highly intelligent but also very emotional animals that deserve our care and respect. Thankfully, the kind people at Woodstock recognize these animals as incredible individuals and are giving them the sort of life they deserve.

We could all stand to learn this lesson and stop thinking of hens as the commodities they produce, but the awesome creatures they truly are.

All image source: Woodstock Farm Sanctuary/Facebook