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'Hen Heaven' Under Threat. Can You Help?

Karuna | 07.08.2005 16:58 | Animal Liberation | South Coast

'Hen Heaven' in Henfield, Sussex provides refuge for around 800 rescued (mostly 'battery') hens and some turkeys. But now it is threatened with closure because the owner is ill and can't cope with the workload.

Hen Heaven was set up by Linda Turvey nine years ago when she took in a small number of rescued ex-battery and domestic hens. From there it has grown and grown.

The hens have the freedom to roam over two and a half acres of land, and are free to live out their lives - without fear of slaughter - often to the ripe old age of around 9 years or more. On a battery farm they'd normally be slaughtered at around 18 months.

Any eggs laid by the hens -' cackleberries' - are sold to try to cover the the costs of the bird's feed, vet's bills and the ongoing day to day costs of running the sanctuary. All of Linda's time and energy is devoted to the project and she has no additional income.

But now Hen Heaven is under threat!

Linda has recently been diagnosed with ME, and also suffers from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Another massive blow is that Linda's father, who'd been helping out at the sanctuary for 4 days a week, has had a stroke.

Linda is finding it increasingly hard to cope. Just feeding the hens three times a day takes around 3 hours. And ensuring the hens remain healthy is also extremely time consuming.

CAN YOU HELP?

Linda is appealing for people who might be willing to take on some of the work including:

* Collecting, sorting, weighing and boxing the eggs.
* Car drivers to help deliver eggs to shops and pubs.
* Help with clearing invasive weeds.
* Various plumbing jobs.

If you think you can help to keep Hen Heaven going then please, please, please call Linda on 07754 550193

Thankyou!

Karuna

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  1. You could try posting here if you haven't already... — magoo (chicken servant)