While we're all cozy at home and investing in big sweaters to face the winter, spare a thought for our poor feathered friends.
Battery-raised laying hens spend much, if not all, of their lives in cages for the one and only purpose of laying as many eggs as possible.
Unfortunately, once released, they have a hard time acclimatizing to normal outdoor conditions.
By the way, did you know that battery hens are literally trapped on top of each other in cages stacked on 2 or 3 floors? It makes you want to eat organic or red label eggs, right?
Battery-raised hens have far fewer feathers than others. It's not really a problem in summer, but when the temperatures start to drop, the cold quickly becomes unbearable for the hens.
Nicola Congdon, a 25-year-old girl who lives in Falmouth, England, had a brilliant and adorable idea to remedy this problem:knit woolen sweaters to keep her chickens warm this winter.
She has about 60 hens, but 30 of them were caged hens before. The others are so-called "free-range" hens and always have been.
"It is important to make people aware of the dramatic conditions in which chickens kept in battery cages live on a daily basis. Most people do not know that chickens have no more feathers once they are retired", tells us notice Nicola Congdon.
"Chicken sweaters are a fun way to keep my chickens warm. Plus, they're easier to identify with their sweaters on their backs!"
Nicola and her mum, Ann, now receive orders for sweaters from people who have chickens all over the world. Instead of selling them for profit, the money goes to an orphanage in South Africa.
Does this story inspire you? Do you also want to eat eggs from free-range chickens? Or knit pullovers for the chickens? Let us know what you think in the comments.
