Meet our rescued chickens | Goodheart Animal Sanctuaries

Friendly, inquisitive, and social, chickens have made wonderful animal companions for humans throughout history – and it’s not hard to see why. We care for a number of rescued hens here at Goodheart Farm Animal Sanctuary, and it brings us great joy to see them running through the grass, dust bathing in the aviary, or cosying up to sleep in their coop.

A happy hen under trees — Natural habitat
Chickens are native to Southeast Asia where they live in dense, leafy jungles.

Sponsor a chicken today — Social structure
Chickens are very social and live together in flocks. They live under a strict hierarchy known as 'the pecking order' where more dominant birds are given priority to food and nesting sites.

Hen eating from bucket — Diet
Chickens are omnivores. They feed on seeds, berries, insects, and even small lizards or rodents.

Chicken care at Goodheart

Join Animal Care Assistant Izzy and Dorothy the hen to learn all about the high standard of care we give all our rescued chickens here at the sanctuary.

Lockdown lifts for our feathered friends

On 1st of April 2021, Avian Flu restrictions were lifted, meaning that our rescued birds could be let out again after nearly four months of lockdown! It makes us very happy to see them out enjoying the sanctuary to its fullest once again.

Fascinating chicken behaviours

Dust bathing

Chickens don’t bathe in water like we humans do, they use dust instead! This is hugely beneficial for birds, preventing their feathers from becoming too oily and helping to keep lice, mites, and other pests at bay. Dust bathing also seems to be an enjoyable social activity and it’s not uncommon for us to spot our hens dust bathing in groups beside our hay barn or around our main yard. Be sure to look out for this fascinating behaviour on your next visit to the sanctuary!

Roosting

When it gets dark, chickens fall into a very deep sleep which can make them vulnerable to predators. Their ancestors would have spent the night high up in trees to avoid an attack and it seems this natural instinct is still very much present in domestic birds. While they may squeeze in the odd afternoon nap out in the open, it’s very important for chickens to have somewhere secure where they can sleep or “roost” at night – especially a perch that is raised up off the ground to make them feel safe.

Foraging

Chickens love exploring their natural environment and use their beaks and feet to do so. This comes in the form of foraging – pecking and scratching to stir up soil or plant matter to uncover tasty treats to eat beneath. Like roosting, foraging is an instinctive behaviour and doesn’t necessarily mean your chickens are going hungry – it’s just their way of sussing out their surroundings!

The "pecking order"

Spend a few minutes watching a flock of chickens interact and you’ll be observing a complex social hierarchy at work. Every member of a chicken flock has their specific place in the “pecking order”, which is literally the order in which they get to peck at any food which may come their way. When there is plenty to go around, this will rarely be a serious issue in flocks, but you may still catch your chickens squabbling from time to time as members assert their dominance.

Farmed vs Free

Most chickens have a natural lifespan of around 10 years but same may live up to 15 years! Hens rescued from industry sadly may not live this long, even when kept as pets, due to their stressful start in life.

In an intensive egg laying system, hens will typically be slaughtered when their egg production declines (typically around 1.5 years old). In intensive industrial systems, broiler hens (those reared for meat) are slaughtered when they are just over a month old.

Natural life expectancy

15 years

Chickens reared for meat

1 month

Chickens reared for meat

1 month

Life in an intensive farming system

Caged systems make up 48% of UK egg production. In these systems, hens are kept in cramped, poorly ventilated systems with no access to natural light.

Broiler hens have their eggs removed immediately and placed in an incubator for 21 days until they hatch. The day-old chicks are then put into huge, overcrowded, dimly lit sheds holding tens of thousands of hens

The floors of the sheds are covered in litter to absorb droppings and are only cleaned when the chickens are sent for slaughter. The birds’ eyes and respiratory systems can be damaged by the ammonia from the droppings which can also cause painful burns on their chest and feet called hock burns

Because of the speed that intensively reared chickens grow, they spend much of their time lying down unable to move as their legs aren’t strong enough to hold the weight of their heavy bodies.

Life at our sanctuary

At Goodheart, our chickens are fully free range. During the day, they have free roam of the sanctuary site and can often be seen dust-bathing in the barn or scratching in the soil for tasty insects.

At night, our chickens are kept in secure pens with constant access to an outside area with plenty of space, food, water, perches, and enrichment opportunities.

We health-check and weigh our chickens regularly and keep an eye on their social hierarchy to make sure that no individual hen is being bullied by more dominant birds.

What do you do with the eggs your hens lay?

Over the years, humans have selectively bred hens to lay much more frequently than they would in the wild – several hundred a year! This takes a huge toll on a hen’s body and uses up a lot of vitamins and minerals, including calcium, which is used to form the egg’s shell. This is why conditions such as osteoporosis are such a common occurrence within commercial egg farms, with as many as 86% of egg-laying hens in the UK suffering a fracture!¹

As a result, we feed the eggs our rescued hens lay back to them, either raw or boiled with their shell on, allowing them to regain some of the vitamins and minerals lost in the laying process.

Source: www.surgeactivism.org