How to Rescue Battery Chickens in Ireland

Do you keep chickens for eggs ?  Or maybe you would like to, but you haven't yet taken the plunge ?  Whichever you are, this article is for you !

One thing in this world that I particularly hate is factory farming of any kind.  Here in Ireland both chickens and pigs are kept in battery farming conditions, indoors and often without proper light.  They have almost zero space and can't even move around.  And the saddest thing is that many people who live here don't even realise what goes on to produce the majority of chicken, ham, bacon and pork that they eat.

Littlehill Animal Rescue and Sanctuary annually rescue approximately 7,000 to 8,000 battery hens which are about to be slaughtered.  They then distribute them across Ireland to willing new owners like you and I.  Their next rescue is due to take place in about 3 months time, so you have plenty of time to prepare, or even build/buy that new coop for them to live in !

This is how battery farmed chickens live until they are 18 months old, 6 to 8 in a cage

The chickens are kept indoors, 6 to 8 in a cage, jammed in with no room to move.  They can't even stretch their wings out, ever.  At 18 months old they are slaughtered, because their 'optimum' laying period is over.  However, they will in fact lay eggs for many years to come after that, so in rescuing them you also give yourself free range happy eggs to eat.

I will be taking at least 6, hopefully more.  Can you take a few maybe ?

A Littlehill rescue hen at time of rescue

The same hen as above a while later after rescue !

They fork out a massive amount of money to organise the rescue of these little, bare bodied, hens, and so charge €5 for each hen anyone takes.  This purely covers their expenses.

You can collect as many hens as you want from various drop off points across Ireland, which are notified ahead of time on the Littlehill web site.

When the hens are rescued, they have very few feathers, are weak and not used to wind, rain or cold temperatures.  So they need a safe and snug coop and run, with indoor daytime space if they need it.

Littlehill Animal Rescue web site Click here

Littlehill Animal Rescue also have a Facebook page HERE

NB:  All photos are courtesy of Littlehill Animal Rescue & Sanctuary - many thanks

My New Garden Visitor - A Jay

I have a new daily visitor to my garden - Garrulus glandarius hibernicus - an Irish Jay.

This is the name of the Irish Jay. It is slightly different than the British Jay and the Continental Jay. It is a bit darker in the pink colouring than both, with the Continental Jay being the lightest pink.

He (or she) comes to visit all day every day now. The first visit was about 3 or 4 weeks ago, when I only saw the bird fleetingly maybe once a day. Now he is here almost all the time, either sat in my trees watching me or helping himself to nuts, seeds or scraps from my old wall.

He is becoming more confident every day - I wonder just how tame he will become. It's weird, but the cats seem to ignore him mostly - maybe it's because he is quite big.

Hmmm

This is one set of feeders containing peanuts and seeds.

Kittens Oisín and Meabh at 4 Months Old

I took these kitten photos today - Oisín and Meabh - 4 months old now and so gorgeous

Oisín on the left and Meabh on the right

The one below is Oisín

Photos of Ice, Kittens, Birds & A Cow

Peek a Boo

A neighbours cow peeking over the hedge at me on a very cold morning.

My friendly robin - sat watching me re-filling the peanuts and hanging up new fat balls. Mr Robin likes scraps best.

I am so lucky - I live in such a beautiful place...

So cold ! It's permafrost !

Woofie looking for mice...

Meabh watching Woofie looking for mice...

I think my hose tap has broken ! I should have remembered to turn the main tap off, not just the hose selector...

Quite the ice sculpture eh ?

Frozen Tundra On Galway Clare Border

Feck !

It's 10.15am and it's still -6 celcius here !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the west coast of Ireland - we have the North Atlantic Drift and the Gulf Stream... Where are they now ? !

Happily floating off the coast somewhere huh - NOT keeping me warm and snug for the winter...

I'm now off to boil the kettle about 20 times in order to carry bucket loads of water over to the donkeys in their field, as their water is frozen 6 inches thick and I can't break it. Their tap ran a bit yesterday afternoon - but the fresh water was frozen within an hour. Still, they got a good drink.

I think I might start advertising 'The Tundra Experience - A Retreat' holidays on the Burren...

Bathtime for Oisin

Oh damn, do I have to really have a bath RIGHT now ?


OK well, if I must...

But I won't make it easy...

Wow big brother sure can lick fast...

Now, if I stare him out really really hard...

I might be able to make him slow down and and not clean my ears...

OK it's not working...

I'll just scare him into submission...

Oisin: OMG she's taking pics of me naked in the bath !

Sweep: Oh damn she caught me

OK cute kitty faces on... We are innocent Mom... and if we look sweet she will feed us...

Chocolate Haberenos, Chillis, Roses and Kittens Killing Caterpillar Boots !

These will blow your head off !!! I grew these fairly conventional chillies this year as they are so much fun...

I don't use them in cooking an awful lot, as I'm personally not a lover of extremely hot food. But they are useful now and then.

Once they are fully ripe on the plant, I pick them and dry them thoroughly. I then grind them up and store them in glass jars until needed.

Today I moved them from the polytunnel, and into my office, as it really is starting to get colder here now at night.

This is another pic of the same plant, once in my office. You can see part of the garden through the office window.

Now this is one very special plant. Like I said above, I don't really eat chillies as such, but I really adore growing them, and all sorts of other things. This is a Chocolate Habereno plant. I bought 10 seeds from a supplier I use, and only 1 germinated...

And this is it.

The chillies haven't formed yet, quite... I am waiting with baited breath ! I moved this plant today also, from the tunnel up to my office.

I can't wait.

This is my favourite rose.

It's a Zepherine Drouhin, a very old French rose, which is totally thornless, and has a perfume which is the most beautiful smell in the world. It's a rambling rose, not really a climber, and incredibly beautiful, in the sense of true beauty...

And last but not least...

Meabh and Oisin decided to kill my very expensive Caterpillar boots !

They get hours of endless fun chewing these...

Hmmmmmm

Bath Time for Kittens

Most of these photos were taken 3 days ago while the babies were still sick.

The larger kitten cat in the photos is Sweepy (brother of Sooty) who is just 6 months old and from the previous litter of the kittens momma. He, for some very strange reason, has taken to mothering them a bit now and then...

He's about half grown now.

Poor guy doesn't realise, but he is for the 'snip' in a few weeks... Maybe that will help his mothering skills... (When I can catch the Mother she is also having her 'fun' curtailed!)


Dinner Time Today...


Bath time for babies





You WILL let me bath you...

Look at the size of that tongue...

Bread and Butter Pudding My Mum Used to Make

I will admit to this being an absolute favourite of mine and I personally put neither cream or custard on it.. I like it as is MMMMMMM.

Bread & Butter Pudding

12 slices thinly cut White Bread
3 ozs Butter (quite soft)
8 Eggs
3 ozs Caster Sugar (fine sugar but not icing sugar)
3 ozs Sultanas
1.75 litres (3.75 US pints) full fat Milk
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Freshly ground Nutmeg to taste

1. Cut the crusts off of the slices of bread and butter them all on both sides (if you need more butter use it).

2. Cut each slice into 4 triangles.

3. Arrange one single layer of the triangles in a large shallow (capacity about 2 litres) ovenproof dish, overlapping them slightly. Use about half the slices.

4. Sprinkle half the sultanas evenly across the slices.

5. Layer the rest of the slices of bread on top, evenly and slightly overlapping again.

6. Beat together the sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla extract in a bowl.

7. Pour half the egg mixture over the bread and leave to stand and soak in for 10 minutes.

8. After 10 minutes beat the remaining egg mixture again, add in the sultanas then pour it all into the dish evenly across the bread pieces.

9. Sprinkle with the nutmeg. Some people seem to prefer cinnamon rather than the nutmeg.

10. Cook for about 50 minutes at 160C, or 140C if its a fan assisted oven. That's 320F, or 285F for fan assisted ovens. For gas ovens its mark 2 for maybe 55 - 60 minutes, but keep an eye on it. Basically cook it until the custard is set and the top is nice and crispy and browning (not burnt).

This is great hot or cold... and is positively addictive.

Kittens & Donkeys