170 Devon chickens need homes to avoid slaughter this weekend Read more at http://www.devonlive.com/170-devon-chickens-need-homes-to-avoid-slaughter-this-weekend/story-30464243-detail/story.html#EPK5XEa5pART19IO.99

Around 170 ex-battery hens in Devon - who have never seen daylight before - will be slaughtered this weekend, unless homes can be found for them.

The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT), based at Rose Ash in North Devon, are looking to rehome the birds on Sunday at two locations in the county - but say they cannot save the hens if they do not have homes to go to.

The charity is appealing to anyone who has a bit of space in their back garden to consider giving a home to some ex-bats.

A BHWT spokesman said: "The hens are around 18 months old when they are sent to slaughter because their egg laying has slowed down, and whilst they don't come with guarantees, they are generally happy to offer a tasty reward to someone offering to save their lives.

"Furthermore they will guarantee to any would-be adopter fun and affection. These little hens are seriously good at worming their way into hearts."


The rehoming sessions in Devon are among several taking place across the country this coming weekend.

The Devon sessions take place on Sunday, August 6 at Rose Ash - where 60 chickens need to be rehomed - and Okehampton - where 110 are without homes.

All the hens have been working hard for 18 months, laying eggs to be sold in supermarkets or go into processed foods. They have never seen daylight, stood on soft grass nor scratched for bugs and slugs.

Gaynor Davies, the charity's Head of Operations, said: "There is no better feeling than watching these girls flourish after they emerge from the commercial system.

"They have a full bill of health and will soon become much-loved pets. With a bit of TLC they become incredibly tame, and they're often described as cats and dogs with feathers.

"If you've ever considered giving some ex-bats a home my only advice would be to do it. You won't regret it."

Here are the details of the other sessions across the UK:

Saturday, 5 August
Rotherham (Letwell): 300 hens in total, 100 without homes
Cambridge (Godmanchester): 300 hens in total, 200 without homes
Nottinghamshire (Newark): 400 hens in total, 200 without homes
Lincolnshire (Stamford): 300 hens in total, 190 without homes
Norfolk (Kings Lynn): 230 hens in total, 80 without homes

Sunday, 6 August
Dorset (Bourton): 200 hens in total, 60 without homes
Sussex (Arundel): 240 hens in total, 115 without homes
Cornwall (Liskeard): 150 hens in total, 115 without homes
Cornwall (Redruth): 150 hens in total, 100 without homes
Devon (Rose Ash): 150 hens in total, 60 without homes
Devon (Okehampton): 150 hens in total, 110 without homes

If you're interested in re-homing some hens, simply register your details on our website at www.bhwt.org.uk or call 01884 860084 for more information.


Source

PROBABLY THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD

IMPRESSIVE POULTRY POLTROONERY

Roosters are given a Hollywood makeover by the Happy Egg Co for its poultry farm calendar (Picture: PA)

A dozen cockerels have become unlikely pin-ups.

The preening poultry feature in a calendar recreating famous Hollywood moments.

The Usual Suspects gets a rooster makeover (Picture: PA)

One copies John Travolta’s dance moves in Saturday Night Fever while others give James Bond, Batman and crime drama The Usual Suspects a rooster makeover.

The scenes were shot by fashion photographer Dan Kennedy for the Happy Egg Co.

Saturday Night Fever chicken-style (Picture: PA)

Marketing director Steve Horton said: ‘Since we can’t have real cockerels on our farms, it’s great to offer our broods some pin-ups.’

It will be sent to all the British company’s producers.

Bizarrehttp://metro.co.uk/2013/12/08/thats-hen-tertainment-cockerels-pose-as-movie-stars-for-calendar-4222733/

INAPPROPRIATE CORNER: Al Jolson dressed as a chicken

Now THAT'S what I call hentertainment

POULTRY PRANKS

SAVAGE CHICKENS (via Richard F)

LIZ CLANCY: Fowl Football

Ewood Park was all of a flutter when a chicken bearing the slogan 'Kean Out' on a placard was sent onto the pitch during a match between Blackburn Rovers and away team Wigan FC. Fans released the chicken during the football match on Monday to register their dismay at likely relegation - which WAS the outcome of the match. The fowl, which also sported a Rovers scarf (in some reports, a flag), was intended to be a dig at the club's owners, Venky's, an Indian poultry company.

GIANT CHICKEN NEWS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE (Thank you Richard F)

http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/191710--police-searching-for-giant-chicken-missing-from-brantford-area-farm

MORE TOUCHING POULTRY NEWS (ever get the impression that SOMEONE in the CFZ is obsessed with chickens?)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-16198947

MAX SENT THIS

A picture of three beautiful young women holding chickens. It had the cryptic caption "Saw this, knew who to send it to..."

Damn right, dear boy.

HEARTWARMING POULTRY NEWS: British schoolboy reunited with pet chicken

When Tom Cowley lost his beloved pet chicken he was offered help from as far away as America. But as the age-old joke would have it, the wandering fowl was found much closer to home – after she merely ‘crossed the road’.

Read on for more poultry-related tomfoolery

...AND THE ANSWER IS

Jon...

This type of print ONLY happens in deep snow. Made in this case by chickens, but I have seen almost identical marks made by pheasants and short-eared owls. It’s when the bird is too deep in the snow and uses its wings to balance it before flying off. You can see the blobby thing at the bottom right of the picture, which is the body; two or three perfectly formed bird footsteps above the blobby body mark, and the marks made by the wing feathers. Harder to see in the photo, but also part of the print, are tail-feather markings, which can help identify the type of bird.

Can you see it now?

Jan

LIZ'S LOOKALIKES #3

Okey dokey, so the last picture was of a Biggles lookalike (and Ronan Coghlan's doppelganger, too, if we concur with Mr Downes's suggestion).

This person is perhaps more well known from the Fortean Times but they have written for us. Any ideas?

(CLUE: He spoke about the woman in black at last year's UnCon)

GALLINACEOUS GALLIVANTINGS: The best thing ever!

Everyone knows that Jon has a fascination with chickens and other fowl. In order to keep the old bugger happy people like Corinna send him YouTube videos, which he invariably posts on the bloggo for no other reason than to be able to shout "Wayhay!!!"

Mad City Chickens is a sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical look at the people who keep urban chickens in their backyards. From experts and authors to a rescued landfill chicken or an inexperienced family that takes the poultry plunge—even a mad scientist and giant hen get into the act—it’s a humorous and heartfelt trip through the world of backyard chickendom.

Here are three particularly entertaining trailers:

LIZZY CLANCY: Laying for England!

It is always nice to be able to introduce you all to a new guest blogger. Possibly the nicest thing about the CFZ bloggo is that it is a living, breathing community, and new people arrive on a regular basis. I can't tell you anything about Liz, apart from the fact that she bought some books from us at Uncon, briefly spoke to Richard, and had a charmingly old-fashioned habit of referring to me as `Mr Downes`, when everyone else calls me `Jon` or `Hey You` (or sometimes something more scatological), until I told her not to.

She is also the author of a charming and very elegantl;y written fortean novella called The Second Level which I strongly urge you all to buy at this link:



http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/095601156X/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

She is obviously one to watch, and she tells me in her latest e:mail that she is getting "addicted" to writing for the CFZ bloggo.

Back in 1941 when Patriotism was still okay and our men were off fighting world war two, support back home abounded, often from surprising corners.

According to the Rochdale Observer, in August of that year, Mr J. Herbert of the Spotland area (who, incidentally, had previously been a Rochdale Association footballer) was tending to his chickens and came across the remarkable egg shown in the photo.

The V for Victory Campaign had begun earlier that year in January when Belgian refugee Victor Delavelaye suggested on BBC radio that the 22nd letter of the alphabet become the emblem of the allies against Nazism. The idea was, according to Mr Delavelaye, that "by seeing this sign, always the same, infinitely repeated, [the German] will understand that he is surrounded, encircled by an immense crowd of citizens eagerly awaiting his first moment of weakness, watching for his first failure."

I do hope Mr Herbert’s patriotic hen was commended for her brave effort in support of the allied movement, or at least given an extra portion of feed. Sadly such gallinaceous gallantry in the Spotland area is unlikely ever to recur since the only chicken within a one-mile radius is minced and waiting to be fried in one of the many kebab shops we have to choose from.

GREATER SAGE GROUSE

Anyone who knows me, and many who don't will realise that I have somewhat of an obsession with chickens and their relatives. Last week I used a flimsy excuse to show a video of a lesser prairie chicken, and was rewarded by some comments of a distinctly cryptozoological nature. Now, I am chancing my arm even further because I can think of absolutely no justification whatsoever for showing you this video, except for the fact that this is an even more magnificently absurd fowl than the one I showed you last week. Now someone please justify this for me...

THE MOST AMAXING FOWL YOU HAVE EVER SEEN

http://www.birdchick.com/wp/2009/04/lesser-prairie-chicken-aka-jets-vs-sharks/

Everyone knows that I am a fan of Sharon the birdchick. But here she has surpassed herself with a remarkable posting about the world's most glorious gallinaceous fowl - the North American prairie chicken. These fantastic creatures behave in such a gloriously absurd manner that I defy anyone to be able to watch the video embedded below without wanting to a) Shout Wayhay! b) Laugh very loudly or c) pick it up and cuddle it.



Or is it just me who has a complete obsession with chickens?