Galhina's Story - additional money for additonal benefits - plucked alive

Galhinia was being sold in an informal settlement last year (2009), when I bought her. I had to pay some extra money for her, as the additonal benefit of this chicken was that she had been partially plucked alive for re sale. An immensly cruel and painful process for the hen. Galhinia had large sores on the sides of her body, probably where she had hurt herself on the wire cage, and other chickens had pecked at the wounds until they became 1 to 3 cm in diameter. Galhinia was in a sorry state.

Using humour is one of the means we use in our family to protect ourselves from the pain of what we often deal with and see in our chickens. My husband called Galhinia our 'sports model', as she was aerodynamic!

Sun burn was an issue for Galhinia. Sun block is NOT an option for chickens, as it is absorbed through their thin skin, and is toxic. We tried as best as we could to keep her out of the burning African mid day sun through the hottest part of summer, but this was not always possible or easy, and her skin became bright red, and sensitive.

Galhinia has recovered well over the last 5 months, and has stayed at our family home. Despite her cruel experience at the hands of her captors, Galhinia  loves being with people (as well as other chickens), and spends our meal times under the table chatting to us, and waiting for attention. Galhinia also loves being in the kitchen when we are preparing food. Company aside, she knows that she may get a few little extra bits of food thrown her way. Galhinia LOVES cooked rice, and while we do not give this to her as standard fare, we do give her a little bowl, when we eat rice. She has this amazing repeated cluck which she uses to comminicate appreciation. Rice brings on the famous appreciative cluck.

While Galhinia loves being with people, she hates being held or picked up. However, at the end of each afternoon, given the opportunity, she will come and find me in the house and settle on my lap or shoulder for some quality time. I, however, may not in anyway influence this affection. It is all on her terms. So I gratefully sit and wait for my measure of love to be metered out for the day.

I look forward to our 10 to 30 minutes together each day.

See pic below. Note substantially more feathers than previous pics.

8th March 2010 - sleepy Galhinia below - afternoon siesta

Didi and Friends......

Didi was rescued and rehabilitated by Patricia Glyn, Johannesburg from Alexander township from an informal trader. 'Didi arrived with hardly any feathers, infected pussy lungs and very bad manners. She is now a complete darling.' Didi's story is much the same as most ex layers cast out for re sale for meat. Didi insists on sleeping in Patricias bedroom. Here she is seen with Ketiwe (the cat) and Tapiwa (the dog). Not all cats, dogs and chickens live together peacefully. Introductions need to be slow and carefully monitored to avoid any injuries.

Local Celebrity & Chicken lover Patricia Glyn.....

Local Celebrity, Animal Rightist and Chicken lover Patricia Glyn writes touchingly about one of her rescues from Alexander township.....

JUST A CHICKEN

I bought her to kill her, so she didn’t get a name. Somehow it was easier that way. And, after all, I only knew her for a few hours.

We met on a rowdy, dirty street in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg. She was crouched in the corner of an apartment block of cages which stank of feces and fear. Her eyes were closed, and her body motionless. I thought she was dead, but the jabbing, wire hook which dragged her out of her small corner of hell soon had her eyes wide open in shock. No outraged squawk emitted from her, though. She was way beyond that.

Her skin was an angry pink and utterly nude. Poking through it at regular intervals were the white shafts of what were once feathers. A ghastly, rasping sound came from her throat, as she battled for each breath through lungs drowning in a broth of puss. No one would buy her, that was clear, and a cold and rainy night was approaching. The least I could do was to hasten her descent into that final sleep which awaits us all. Her jailer looked at me in amazement as I forked out R30 in exchange for her sad, sorry form, and then headed off for the sanctuary of my less odorous suburb.

The vet’s waiting room was busy. Inquisitive children with their floppy puppies and old faithfuls poked their heads into my cardboard box and recoiled in revulsion. Every now and then my ugly little charge rallied and made a brave but pathetic attempt to escape, poking her wild-eyed head through the flaps of the box, and pecking at them with every last ounce of energy she had. She sneezed often, and arched her bruised and blue neck as high as it could reach, desperately sucking at what little air her squishy lungs could accommodate, desperately clinging to her miserable life.

I held her prickly, diarrhea-smudged body while the vet injected that merciful green juice into her thigh. Slowly her wild, snaking neck began to quieten until it finally folded back on itself and she was at peace.

But I was not. I began to sob and sob. The vet quietly left the room, no doubt mystified as to why the death of an ugly, common, nameless bird should provoke such grief. You see, she wasn’t a Martial Eagle, a Pel’s Fishing Owl or a Narina Trogon. She had no aesthetic appeal, no environmental import, no scarcity value. She was just a chicken. ‘Just’ a chicken.

And she was one of over 5 million chickens who die EVERY WEEK in South Africa, having spent their short lives crammed into massive, windowless sheds along with, on average, 40 000 others of their kind. One of over 5 million sentient creatures who inhale so much ammonia and fecal particulate that many of them suffer from chronic respiratory disease and stinging eyes. One of over 5 million fowls who peck relentlessly at each other in frustration at their cramped conditions. One of over 5 million birds that are pumped so full of growth hormones that their little breasts often expand to the point where their legs can no longer carry them.

She was also one of thousands of birds that are so sick or weak that they are ejected from the commercial chicken chain and sold live to township dwellers for back-yard slaughter. You’d think they’d made payment enough for the broiler farmers to give them a quicker end. But no, more pain is due, more suffering is required so that our nation can have cheap animal protein.

And that’s why I sobbed. I sobbed for over 5 million chickens that, weekly, ‘donate’ their anguished lives for people who either remain ignorant of their plight or simply don’t care about it. I sobbed for the abomination of it all.

Marigold and Petunia - good vibes spread - Cape Town rescues

Just after the release of the article in Animal Voice, Fiona Burton from Cape Town contacted me wanting to rescue her own chickens for home. I sent her our standard rescue doc, and last week Marigold and Petunia joined Fiona and her family.
I love the way Fiona writes about their new family members, I am very excited that good vibes are spreading and 2 more ex batteries have a home! I hope it continues, as people interact with Fiona, and then so on and so on.....

'hi Candy


We bought two chickens from Phillipi yesterday morning. They spent the day and last night in our bedroom in a little pen with 2 carbboard boxes to sleep in. We introduced them to the garden this morning and also the chicken coop and they are so happy! As we speak they are both having a morning nap in the sunshine on the grass. Besides missing a few feathers (not too bad at all) and a few long toe nails, they seem in good shape. They ate and drank from the start, so no problem there. I just wanted to check with you whether there are any plants which are poisonous for chickens as they have free run of the garden.

Their names are Marigold and Petunia and they are just so lovely, bringing us lots of joy and smiles!

 We would like to slowly change their food to purely organic healthy feed over time. I have taken photos which I will send you when I figure out how to get them from camera to computer!

warm regards

Fiona'

Article on our chicks in Animal Voice 22 Jan 2010

http://www.animal-voice.org/Articles-and-features/The-Rescue-and-Rehabbing

Ambers Story

Amber came from Zandfontein two weeks ago. She is tiny, and very thin, but seems to be relatively healthy. Her nails were long and curling when we got her. The wire cages of the battery set up, do not allow the chickens to scratch in the dirt and wear down their nails. Walking with long curling nails is painful and hard. a nail clip brings almost instant relief.

Amber is so chilled and easy. The only hard time we have had with her is negotiating bed time. Amber does not want to sleep in a box in my bathroom. Amber wants to sleep as high up as she can. Eventually we have settled on a box on the side of our basin.

See picture below.

Last night Amber layed her first egg since she has been with us. I think she is remarkably talented and clever!

Henriettes story

Henriette Day 1

Henriette was rescued last year from Zandfontein squatter camp in Gauteng. Henriette had finished her 300 days laying at a battery farm and was  sold to an informal trader for meat. I bought Henriette for R 20, instead of R 35. She was on sale. I lifted her out of the cage. Her eyes were shut and she was very still. For a momemt I thought she was dead, however the green mucus bubbling out of her nose, indicated otherwise. She had few feathers and weighed very little. I could feel each bone beneath her skin of her frail body. Henriette took 2 weeks of intense nursing. Crop feeding three times a day with a tube, anti biotics and loads of sleep. She would not eat or drink of her own accord. I thought I would have to euthanase, but something made me hang on. One morning she woke up walked over to the bowl of food and started pecking away. The whole family sat staring at her. Henriette lived with us in our family home for 4 months. She grew in confidence each day, and slowly began to separate from us and bond with the other chickens. Eventually it felt right to take her to our family farm to live with the rescue flock we have there. I see her each weekend, and she is loving the freedom of free ranging, and the safety of her hen house at night with her friends around her. Henriette still has a slightly haunted and alarmed look about her, and does everything at double the speed of other chickens. As though she has so much to make up for.

Recovering - Henriette makes a nest in the warmth of the DVD cupboard

Henriette 4 months down the line