Caged egg-laying hens spend their lives in arguably the worst living environments imaginable. To maximize production, hens are kept in cages the size of an iPad, sometimes crammed in with five to ten other birds. For the duration of their lives, they never spread their wings or know what it’s like to not feel constantly stressed.

Thankfully, there are organizations like Animal Place, who are working to give former egg-laying hens a chance at the happy life they deserve.

The hens featured here came to Animal Place as the result of a massive rescue operation. In total, 1,500 hens were saved from life in a conventional egg farm and brought to the sanctuary to start anew. In this video, the hens are getting their very first taste of freedom and spreading their wings likely for the very first time as well.

It’s a truly beautiful sight to see. If only all hens could experience this sort of happiness, the world would be a much brighter place.