Issue No.18 Spring 2018

Welfare and Food Together

• Choccy egg yumminess v hen egg healthiness • Win a Fancy Flock hen house! • How your hens can help more hens • The BHWT Good Egg Cup Awards Discover our fabulous feeders and accessories

Feathers & Beaky feeders are the perfect way to feed your feathered friends in style. Designed to put the fun into functional, our Hanging Vegetable Holder and Peck-It Treat Dispenser will keep your birds fed and boredom-free. While our Feeder and Top-Fill Drinker make for easy and mess-free feeding. To buy our feeders online visit shop.bhwt.org.uk Inside this issue FeathersandBeaky P6 Eggy News – fancy drinking eggs? It’s not as yucky as it sounds, trust us! P8 Male chick – find out what’s being done to stop this practice. P10 It’s Easter! Find out how chocolate eggs stack up against the ones you find in your nest box. P16 Competition time! Your hens are going to love this one… P18 Biscuits, anyone? Find out where you get yourself some of the delightful biscuits on our front cover! P22 Good Egg Cup Awards – find out who this year's winners are. P24 Got eggs galore? Sign up to our Egg Club and get one of our brand new fundraising packs. P30 Celeb sCoop – we catch up with Manic Street Preachers bassist Nicky Wire ahead of the band’s new album release. P32 Time to bake. Swirled Easter brownies? Yes please! P45 Gaynor’s Tips Our Gaynor shares her latest nuggets of chicken wisdom. Contact Us

British Hen Welfare Trust Hen Nutrition Queries? Hope Chapel, Rose Ash BHWT Careline South Molton Tel: 01362 822904 Your hens will love Devon, EX36 4RF Email: bhwtcareline@ our 100% natural feeds. smallholderfeed.co.ukChicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Find out more at Tel: 01884 860084 spikesworld.co.uk Email: [email protected] Company No: 8057493 spikesworld.co.uk or shop.bhwt.org.uk Web: www.bhwt.org.uk Registered Charity No: 1147356 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 3 Dear Supporters

Spring has nearly sprung and with Easter imminent we get our priorities straight and talk chocolate and eggs!

Easter also makes us think about chicks and whilst we all love their cute fluffiness, we are keen to see progress in preventing the unwanted hatching of billions within the egg industry. You’ll find an update on P8.

Talking of cute, Evie Walker introduces our new Egg Club pack, and check out our jolly collection box; it’d look great next to your spare eggs and your hens could help more hens. A concept we really like.

Did you know that the Manic Street Preachers have a new album coming out? We interview band member and animal lover, Nicky Wire. We also announce our two cracking Good Egg Cup Award winners, showcase our learning programme, and have some gorgeous hen stories.

And did I mention that we have a fab-u-lous HEN HOUSE COMPETITION? See P16 for details on how to enter … you owe it to your hens to have a go!

Finally are the biscuits on our front cover not some of the prettiest you’ve seen?! Details can be found within these pages, so please get yourself a cuppa and tuck into our freshly laid news.

Warm wishes, Jane Howorth MBE Founder Francesca Taffs - Production Jane Howorth - Editor The Idea Engine - Publisher

Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 5 Eggy Did you know? Children eat an average News of 1.5 real eggs between Good Friday and Easter Monday. Go to P13 to find out how many chocolate eggs they are given! Waste not want not? Source: eggrecipes.co.uk Scrambled, fried, poached, in a cake – we love eggs, but in a drink? That’s a new one on us. PECK drinks are 66% egg whites and, as such, are packed with protein. They come in three different flavours: strawberry and lime, mango and Eggs in a flash passionfruit, and raspberry and blueberry. We all know the morning routine. We wake up, bleary eyed, They sound delicious, and what's really and rush around with barely any time to eat, let alone wash clever about these nutritional drinks is up after ourselves. Enter, the OXO Microwave Egg Cooker! they make use of second-grade eggs deemed not good enough for the supermarkets. It makes faff-free scrambled or fried eggs in a matter of seconds They are the brainchild of farmer Matthew Havers who wanted to find a use and leaves you with just one pot to clean afterwards. Cracking! for the eggs he could not sell. He even built a new factory specifically to make his product. PECK drinks are priced at £12.99 for six 250ml bottles and are available from Available from Lakeland for £8.99. www.peckdrinks.com. We have a feeling they’re going to be popular... New Chick on the Block Find the Cartoon Golden Egg corner OK so we were sneaky and put the last Golden Egg on the front cover to flummox you, and it did! Nevertheless, we had lots of entries and Catherine Pollard was the lucky winner. How could you not love this photo The spring competition starts right now! Find the of James, newly hatched by BHWT Golden Egg and email [email protected] Hampshire Co-ordinator, Laura McCulloch? letting us know which page it’s on before 30 Laura's choice of babygro says it all as April and you could bag a bundle of Feathers James joins a flock of happy hen keepers & Beaky goodies. This will include 15kg Layers in the McCulloch household. Pellets, two 5kg Chicken Grit bags and a 5kg Chicken Treat bag.

6 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 7 Male chick slaughter Everyone would agree that all chicks are cute but, whilst females at least have a 50/50 chance of free ranging for a year, the immediate culling of all male chicks remains a highly sensitive topic.

The British Hen Welfare Trust is always birds have been marketed since 2014 keen to report developments in welfare, so by supermarket chain Coop. Research we are letting you know that improvements carried out with Swiss shoppers revealed are emerging in a number of ways. that awareness of male chick culling was low. However, once informed, consumers In Ovo, a Dutch specialist has confirmed they would willingly pay a developed a way to sex chicks at embryo higher price for meat and eggs from stage. Their research has revealed that dual-purpose birds to avoid unnecessary by taking a drop of fluid extracted from slaughter. However, the birds come at a 0.4mm hole in the shell, differences a price for shoppers wanting to take the between the fluid in males and females ethical route, with eggs costing 21% more can be determined. These differences can than organic, which, in turn, cost 41% more be measured in a second, and the process than ‘conventional’ eggs. can be used to prevent a male chick from hatching. In Ovo hopes their cost-effective As a charity we welcome all efforts to end method will lead to the end of manual this unnecessary slaughter, and we will sexing for . keep you posted on future developments.

A completely different approach is being taken in Switzerland where ‘dual-purpose’

8 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 9 Eggcellent Happy Easter Eggs Hen Eggs

Let’s face it – chocolate is great. It’s hard not to walk into a supermarket and Poached, fried, scrambled, hard-boiled – all delicious. Picking between feel the anticipation of Easter with shelves stacked full of shiny eggs. chocolate or real eggs, hmm, that’s a no brainer, but thankfully, we don’t have

The first chocolate Easter eggs were created in the 19th century, with Cadbury introducing its first to because we can enjoy them all! egg in 1875. By 1893 there were 19 different variations; a figure dwarfed by today's multitude of chocolate egginess. So how popular are chocolate eggs? We've got the stats! We know eggs from our girls are little parcels of nutritional joy, but how do they compare to their chocolatey counterparts?

Average Average Protein Fat per Average Average Protein per Fat per calories per calories per per 100g: 7.6g 100g: 30.5g calories per calories per 100g: 12.6g 100g: 9g 100g: 530 egg: 858 100g: 131 egg: 72

Easter eggs Cadbury Eggs Eggs eaten produced in the Creme Eggs produced in the in the UK every UK every year: produced daily UK every year: year: 12.193 billion 80 million in the UK: 1.5 10.782 billion million Largest Easter Largest Egg egg hunt: and spoon race: 501,000 eggs were 1,445 participants took part hunted by 9,753 children at Morecambe Community Biggest Most expensive accompanied by their Biggest chicken Most expensive High School Lancashire on 23 Easter egg ever Easter egg: parents at the Cypress egg ever laid: An egg chicken breed: produced: In 2015 a £25,000, made by Gardens Adventure Park weighing 454g was Dubbed the March, 2012. chocolate egg weighing Choccywoccydoodah in Florida, USA, reportedly laid by a White ‘Lamborghini of 8,000kg was unveiled in on 1 April, 2007 Leghorn in New Jersey, the poultry world’, Argentina. It stood USA, on 25 February, the Ayam Cemani 8.5m high 1956. It contained a sells for up to double yolk and $2,500 (£1,700) double shell. each

10 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 11 Fabulously Fun Easter Eggstracts

We get a four day weekend, there’s chocolate everywhere and it also marks the start of spring. Who doesn’t love Easter?! So, put your feet up with a cuppa and a creme egg (or a fried one!) and swot up on our dozen fun Easter facts.

Did you know? The giving of eggs at Easter symbolises spring and new beginnings. Did you know? In 2016 the UK’s Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimated that the country would discard 3000 tonnes of packaging from around 80 million Easter eggs. Did you know? If taken on a sea voyage, hot cross buns are said to protect against shipwreck. Did you know? Every Easter egg rolling takes place on the lawn of the US White House and elsewhere around the world. Did you know? The first chocolate Easter egg was produced in 1873 by Fry's. Did you know? Cadbury Creme Eggs contain dried egg white – fortunately from free range hens. Did you know? In Tudor Britain, it was illegal to sell hot cross buns on any other day than Good Friday, Christmas and funerals. Did you know? Switzerland consumes the most chocolate in the world per person. Did you know? The art of painting eggs originated in Ukraine, where a painted egg is known as a 'pysanka'. Did you know? The most famous decorated Easter eggs are those designed by Peter Carl Fabergé. One sold for £20 million in 2013 after being bought as scrap metal for $13,000. Did you know? Easter chocolate sales make up 10 per cent of Britain's annual spending on chocolate. Did you know? On average, a child is given eight Easter eggs to eat over the Easter weekend, which is approximately 8,000 calories in total.

Sources: vouchercloud.com; newsshopper.co.uk; stayathomemum.co.uk; eauk.org; egginfo.co.uk; guinnessworldrecords.com

12 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Eggs from Poulehouse people are willing to pay the price tag knowing the hens can continue to enjoy a free range life. Poulehouse has sold 250,000 eggs to date, and we hope its efforts continue long into the future.

Also going above and beyond in the name of hen welfare is a Dutch farm producing ‘kipster’ eggs. The idea is to produce carbon-neutral eggs at what is billed the world’s most environmentally friendly farm, also called Kipster. have a small outdoor area plus courtyard Moreover the Kipster team believe it is based on the fact that hens are fearful entirely possible to maintain high animal of exposed, open land and would rather welfare standards as well as forage among covered areas. environmental integrity. Kipster eggs are currently available in Picture a super modern commercial unit Dutch Lidl and expanding across the comprising 1,097 solar panels overhead Netherlands, with the team aiming to Hens at Kipster Farm and a covered courtyard where hens can export in the near future. Image: Bart van Overbeeke Fotografie run and hide among trees and wooded areas, described as an ‘indoor playground’, A statement on Kipster’s website and you have Kipster farm. There are 6.7 celebrates their farms where “the chicken hens per square metre, (typical free range is allowed to be a chicken again, and the units allow 9 hens per square metre), and environment is spared as much as Making strides in whilst not technically free range, they possible”. We like that ethos. An indoor woodland created for hens at Kipster Farm Image: Bart van Overbeeke Fotografie The UK is generally known to be a world leader when it comes to animal welfare, which is why we are staunch supporters of the British free range egg industry. Strides are also being made across Europe and beyond, and below are a few innovators we consider good eggs.

French company, Poulehouse, is working Founded last year, Poulehouse purchases towards developing a successful egg eggs from point of lay through until the business by letting hens live on, and keep hens would usually go for slaughter. At laying, beyond 18 months to the end of this point Poulehouse take the hens and their natural lives. let them live out their days. There are currently around 650 hens at the Most commercial hens across the globe Poulehouse shelter, but founder Fabien are sent to slaughter at the end of their Sauleman believes this number could productive lives. However, as our quickly reach 9,000. supporters well know, given the chance, hens have lots of life, and eggs, left to Poulehouse funds its work by charging give. It is this continued production which an increased price for the eggs and whilst Poulehouse hopes to build on. the product is unlikely to dominate a substantial share of the market, it is clear

14 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 15 Competition Competition Competition Competition

Fancy Flock design and build hand crafted poultry housing in rural Lancashire.

All our poultry houses are made to the highest standards from treated redwood timber and come fitted with Well fancy that! galvanised hinges and fasteners. There’s nothing better than getting into a nice cosy bed at the end of a long day. And we bet Terms and conditions They come in a range of 24 colours that will fit in with your

your hens agree! Which is why they need a The competition closes on 30.04.2018 and the winner will chosen location or as an unpainted version if required. super snuggly hen house to nestle into after a be chosen at random by the BHWT. The winner will be hard days’ free ranging. notified by email or post. No cash alternative available. By entering the competition you have the legal capacity Whichever style of house you choose, each has a large side We’ve teamed up with Fancy Flock to offer one to do so and agree to these terms and conditions. The door and removable perches making it easy to clean. lucky reader the chance to win this Cottage prize is a Fancy Flock Cottage poultry house. There is no entry fee and no purchase required. If, due to circum- Poultry House suitable for 4-6 hens (depending stances beyond their control Fancy Flock or BHWT is on size), worth £495, for their feathered friends. unable to provide the stated prize, they reserve the right Whether you have a small or large flock we will be sure to Its features include: to award a substitute prize of equal or greater value. The have the poultry house that suits your needs. • Carrying handles competition is open to UK residents aged 18 or over, except employees of Fancy Flock and BHWT and their • Large side door for easy cleaning immediate families, or anyone professionally associated • Separate removable perch with this promotion. By entering the competition you are • Raised legs agreeing to join the mailing list for Fancy Flock and the • Two nest boxes and a lift up lid BHWT. The prize winner agrees to the use of their name for promotional purposes. • Treated wood with galvanised hinges/ fasteners • Front and rear ventilation holes with fine mesh protection To enter and be in with a chance of winning this FABULOUS prize, simply visit www.bhwt.org.uk and make your way to our competitions page before 30 April 2018. Good Cluck! 16 What you feed your little soldiers, starts with what you feed your hens.

The Kitsch Hen They come from The Kitsch Hen (have you ever heard a better business name?!) We care about the type of ingredients used in our feeds, and we think you should too. Not only do which is run by Caroline Stafford who, we use the highest quality ingredients, but we’re also very careful to leave out quite a lot of other you’ll be pleased to hear, has her own little things which don’t meet our high standards. flock of hens at home. She uses Fairtrade Which is why our Natural Free Range Layers Pellets and Crumble are now Soya Free. ingredients and, of course, her eggs are free range. Natural Free Range Layers Pellets and Crumble Caroline loves personalising her biscuits, Supporting British Farmers - so we couldn’t let the opportunity pass reducing food miles, wherever possible E NO N us by to have some BHWT branding on TH -G 3 Nutritionally balanced with added Omega 3 M our front cover! The business started as a way of brightening up people’s days with 3 Quality Non-GM Ingredients By now you’ve seen and a ‘hug in a biscuit’ which we think she’s 3 Vegetarian Society Approved L nailed. So, whether it’s a birthday, thank A Y hopefully admired our gorgeous 3 Produced in our drug free mill E you present or just a treat for yourself, get RS FEED front page biscuit spread, and your order in now. Best of all, The Kitsch we’re sure you’re just itching to Hen have recently introduced a range of “Food for thought?” know where you can buy some. chicken-shapes to its repertoire. Get in We’ve taste tested them here at touch now – we have a feeling they’ll soon Hen Central and can vouch for be rushed off their feet… www.the-kitsch-hen.co.uk CALL US TODAY 01362 822 902 their yumminess. www.soya-free.co.uk 18 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Quote Ad Reference “Soya Free Soldiers” Great gifting

With Easter just weeks away we thought you’d like to see some of our ‘top pecks’ when it comes to this years’ eggy and chickeny gifts.

First up, check out this chocolate egg sandwich! If you read that without seeing the photo you’d think we’d gone bonkers. But, look at it! It’s available from Hotel Chocolat for £10: http://www.hotelchocolat.com

How cute are these personalised egg cups?! Perfect for accompanying your egg and soldiers on Easter Sunday. They’re £18.50 for a pair from Gilbert and Stone at Not on the High Street: www.notonthehighstreet.com/gilbert andstone

Decorations aren’t just for Christmas! If you haven’t got the time and/or patience to decorate your girls’ eggs, these John Lewis Bright Egg Decorations are the next best thing to add a spring touch to your home: www.johnlewis.com

We think more Easter cards should be sent and received, especially when they look like this one! Imagine this landing on your doorstep – it’d certainly brighten up your day. £1.50 from Paperchase: www.paperchase.co.uk

20 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. The Good Egg Cup Awards 2018 Get along to Vetark to find out about their range of bird health

Every single person who re-homes our products! hens is a Good Egg. We can’t emphasise that enough. We are truly grateful to each and every one of you for the compassion you show towards your girls. They’re the luckiest hens alive.

There are, however, some supporters who go above and beyond which is why we came up with our Good Egg Cup Award. These are handed out to two deserving winners each year who have devoted themselves to hen welfare and made us stop and say “wow”! So, let us introduce 2018’s winners… Critical Care Formula valuable for nursing Elizabeth Gatherer exhausted/rescue The eagle-eyed among you may birds recognise Lizzie’s name, for it was her and Licensed PROVEN husband, Ky, who invited their two ex-bats has appeared in several high profile to be ring bearers at their wedding! magazines, and has recently put her probiotic An award-winning gesture in itself which learning programme training to good use AVIPRO AVIAN raised funds as well as awareness, Lizzie's by visiting schools in her area to teach efforts had only just begun. Not only has children about ex-bats. We don’t know she been a volunteer for several years, she where she finds the time, along with Avi-Sol has cared for those needing extra TLC, running her own wedding business, but liquid easy dose we’re very glad she does. Well done vitamins from all of us at the BHWT.

Yvonne Brunotte Well, where do we begin with ? Let’s start by clarifying that a) she lives in Zolcal D Hamburg and b) she doesn’t keep hens of liquid calcium and her own. Which makes her complete and utter devotion to the BHWT even more CitroSan vitamin D3 astonishing. From the most innovative to reduce fundraising events, including a Cracking Trichomonas Christmas Tombola, a fab fifties birthday bash and selling delicious jams and transmission chutneys, to selling her iPhone to raise funds for us, Yvonne’s creativeness never fails to amaze. She has raised thousands For more information about the Vetark range Trade to help save our feathered friends from contact Vetark Professional Enquiries slaughter which is why she is the perfect +44-(0)1962-844316, or email: [email protected] candidate for our Good Egg Award. Welcome Visit the website: www.vetark.co.uk 22 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together.

Chicken&EggA5.indd 1 14/01/2017 16:26 Egg Club Evie's column We couldn’t talk about our Egg Club without talking about our super adorable poster girl now, could we?! We first re-launch featured Evie in spring 2017 (how time flies!), and now the Egg Club has its new look, complete with Evie’s gorgeous photos, we thought it fair that Evie tells us what she thinks of it all:

Hens helping hens! "When Mummy told me I had been asked to be the Egg Club ambassador I was really surprised and happy. I told my class all Every ex-bat is an ambassador about it during ‘show and tell’ and they were surprised too."

for other hens, and every flock re-homed acts as "I feel really proud to see my photo and it is really special and important to me to know a little educational pack, spreading the word to I am helping to save more of those lovely little feathery girls and letting them live help save more hens. One of the ways your hens at happily ever after out of their cages!"

home can make a difference to others is by doing "Mrs Lovelyhugs, who you’ll hear about on the Egg Club leaflet, is our softest hen. She what comes naturally, by laying eggs. has very silky feathers now, and is a little bit chubby as she always gobbles up the Anyone who has given their friends, family, treats I give her! She lays us lovely eggs neighbours or work colleagues home-grown but is having a little break for winter at the eggs is helping spread the message of hen moment and we hope she will start laying welfare, and encouraging people to shop again soon! Mrs Lovelyhugs would be so free range. There are already many pleased and happy to know that she is supporters doing this, but we’d love to sign helping her friends. I think she would give more of you up to our Egg Club so your hens me an even bigger cuddle than she can help more hens! normally does and would say thank you!"

To help get your club up and laying we’ve As it’s nearly Easter, we asked Evie if she put together a new pack which includes a has any plans involving her hens and her few simple steps, a dinky donation box and eggs, and here’s what she told us: some stickers so everyone knows where their eggs have come from and where their "As well as eating lots of chocolate eggs I donations are going to. am planning to help Mummy make cakes and treats for Easter Sunday tea when my We hope you will want to join our popular family come around. We will use the eggs Egg Club whose members have raised over from our hens in our cakes, my favourite £11,000 to help save more hens from going part of baking is going into the hen house to slaughter. Visit www.bhwt.org.uk/ and collecting some fresh eggs. I always say information/join-the-bhwt-egg-club to thank you to the girls and give them a little find out more. Just fill out the simple form cuddle!" and we’ll be in touch with your pack. To start up your own Egg Club simply bhwt. org.uk/information/join-the-bhwt-egg-club 24 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 25 PERFECT FOR YOUR SANDWICHES Henspiring the generations

World Egg Day on 13 October last year enjoyed the presentation. “The children marked not just an opportunity to revel in loved meeting the hens so much that we all things eggy, but also the launch of the had to tell them to stop talking and pay brand new BHWT Learning Programme. attention, however this was more due to Since then, children in schools up and excitement as the hens were walking about down the country have been the room!” eggsperiencing the delights of meeting ex-bats, and we thought we’d ask them, Well, we can’t really blame them for getting as well as our wonderful volunteers, what eggcited now, can we?! they thought of the programme. And hopefully inspire some of you, our readers, We also caught up with BHWT Good Egg to get involved too! Cup Award winner, Lizzie Gatherer, after hosting one of several workshops since the First up is South Molton Primary School in programme launched: “It was an amazing Devon, where the programme was launched feeling to take two of my hens into a with our Claws, Wings and Other Things classroom and see them through other workshop being presented to a class of people's eyes. For a lot of these children, it around 30 Year 2 pupils. After the workshop, was their first time seeing a hen close up teacher Nicola Ford told us: “The workshop and they were so happy to be able to stroke was brilliant because we’ve been talking them. They all said how soft my girls were!” about life cycles and what makes us human Lizzie added: “If you are unsure, or nervous and there were lots of links with the about signing up, don't be. Children never curriculum. It was lovely watching the cease to amaze me with how welcoming children talking to and stroking the hens in they are to visitors and how eager they are the classroom.” to learn, especially when you have a feathered friend or two by your side.” Proving the diversity of the programme, a workshop was also recently given at Little To find out more about becoming a learning Brickhill Home Educators Group in Milton volunteer, visit www.bhwt.org.uk/topics/ Keynes, where a reception class enjoyed become-a-volunteer and to download our hearing all about Amazing Eggs. free resources, or to book a workshop for your school, visit www.bhwt.org.uk/ WE’RE ON THE SIDE OF FOOD Group leader, Charlene Underwood, told us learning-programme afterwards that children of all ages 26 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. WE’RE ON THE SIDE OF FOOD

15376CB - HELLMANNS BLT_KVP 155x230.indd 1 12/02/2018 15:51 Flying the British egg flag

Daylesford Organic Farm in Gloucestershire has been farming organically for over 25 years and has won dozens of international awards for its work.

They employ strong animal welfare ethics a rare Gloucestershire breed, free ranging and part of their mission is to ‘reverse on 30 acres of green pasture. At the end the industrialisation of food’. Daylesford of their laying life the hens are re-homed also has its own restaurant where the by us, and you may like to know that their eggs don’t come fresher and their Soil eggs received a 2 Star Gold award at the Association approved restaurants have Great Taste Awards in 2011. Unsurprising won the coveted, Sustainable Restaurant when you consider they're fed on a of the Year, awarded by the Sustainable GM-free, organic, forage-based diet Restaurant Association, two years on the grown on the farm itself. run. High praise indeed. If it sounds pretty good, that's because At Daylesford you can find a flock of it is. You can even stay at Daylesford around 500 Cotswold Blue Legbar hens, Organic Farm, which has a range of honey-coloured stone cottages.

We think the Egg Store sounds the most appropriate cottage for BHWT supporters Daylesford and as well as tempting accommodation we can’t think of a nicer break than to spend it surrounded by hens.

Well done Daylesford for giving your hens Organic Farm a good life, as well as a happy ending. 28 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 29 7. Your mum wrote us a particular poignant 10. Finally, tell us your favourite eggy dish! poem about laying hens – do you and your brother Patrick credit your mum for your My mama’s fried egg and chips – the best way with words? meal in the world! CELEBRITY sCOOP Books, words and debate have always been a huge part of our family life. We have a signed copy of National Treasures – The Complete Singles, 8. Talking about hens, what do you think of here at Hen Central, together with the work of the British Hen Welfare Trust? a photo of the band, also signed! Manic Street Preachers' Your charity seems like a very fine organisation; it’s a phenomenal To be in with a chance of getting your bassist Nicky Wire achievement to have saved the lives hands on it, we are holding a silent of over 600,000 hens – so admirable. auction – email your bid to us at [email protected] with the title Manic Street Preachers fans have a reason to rejoice. 9. We know you’ve not had hens before, Manic Street Preachers before 31 May. but do you fancy one day having a small The Welsh trio will be releasing their first album in four flock in your back yard?! We’ll pick the lucky winner and let you years, Resistance is Futile, on 16 April 2018. I’m not sure what my dachshund would know who it is in the next edition. think, but one day I may have some hens, The band has also recently been confirmed for UK if I have time! festivals including Isle of Wight and the BBC’s Biggest Weekend, to add to their list of 2018 tour dates. Christian Bertrand Shutterstock.com

As such, they’re pretty busy. However we managed to grab five minutes with bassist and vocalist Nicky Wire, whose mum is a supporter of ours, for a round of quick-fire questions.

1. Hi Nicky! Congratulations on the 4. Congrats also on your upcoming UK upcoming release of your 13th Manics arena tour. What can fans expect from album – the first in four years! What kept your live performances? you all waiting so long?! Our shows will be visually stimulating and We had to move studios from Cardiff to made up of old songs, new songs and lost near Newport which was time consuming. songs. Also we needed to find a new way to communicate musically and lyrically. 5. Moving on, we understand from your mum (who is a supporter too) that you 2. What have been the major influences share her concerns for animal welfare. on Resistance is Futile? Is there an area of animal welfare you feel particularly passionate about? For me, inspiration has come from walking, listening to Radio 4, David Bowie, Abba and I always listen to my mother – whatever she my parents. tells me I believe. I love animals, and have done since being a small child. 3. In October it was rumoured that you may never release another album. How 6. Speaking of animals, do you currently did Resistance is Futile come about? have any?

The album is a result of dedication, I have a miniature dachshund who is very inspiration, long hours and hard work. quirky and not very sociable, like myself!

30 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Featureflash Photo Agency Shutterstock.com MAGAZINE For all your recipe inspiration Plus nominate your favourite food producer for the delicious. magazine Produce Awards 2018

Swirled Easter Brownies

Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Preparation time: 15 minutes Grease and line a 20cm square tin with Cooking time: 35-40 minutes baking parchment. + cooling Total time:50-55 minutes 2. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof Serves: 16 bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally, until melted. Ingredients 3. Meanwhile, for the cheesecake mixture, beat 150g butter, plus extra for greasing together the dark muscovado sugar, vanilla 150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped extract, cornflour and 1 egg in a bowl. Gently stir 50g dark muscovado sugar in the soft cheese until mixed. Set aside. ½ tsp vanilla extract 4. In a bowl, beat the remaining 3 eggs. 1 tsp cornflour Stir in the chocolate mixture with the light 4 medium Waitrose British Blacktail muscovado sugar and flour. Spoon half of Free Range Eggs this into the tin, then drop in small spoonfuls of the cheesecake mixture. Spoon the 200g essential Waitrose Creamy remaining chocolate mixture over the top. Soft Cheese 225g light muscovado sugar Using a chopstick or skewer, lightly ripple the 75g plain flour top, then bake for 15 minutes. Scatter over the Mini Eggs and return to the oven for a further 90g bag Cadbury Mini Eggs 15-20 minutes until set. Set aside to cool in the LISTEN TO tin before cutting into 16 squares to serve. OUR PODCAST Share your views & food pics on our social media channels and deliciousmagazine.co.uk 32 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together.

Chicken and Egg magazine_ad words.indd 1 15/02/2018 10:33 Lemon mousse with candied lemon MAKE AHEAD Make the mousse up to 24 hours FOOD TEAM’S TIP If you prefer a more tart mousse, don’t Method ahead and keep covered in the fridge. It’s best to sieve the lemon curd after cooking (step 3), but be extra careful not to curdle the egg. Spiced prawn 1. For the prawn casing, heat a little oil in a non-stick make the candied lemon just before serving. frying pan and fry the shallots for 5 minutes. Transfer Method to a mixing bowl. In a food processor pulse the prawns 1. First, make a lemon curd. Put the lemon 3. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the scotch eggs to a coarse mix, then add to the shallots with the dill, zest and juice of 2 lemons in a heatproof glass butter. Strain the curd through a fine sieve into a lemon zest and juice, and spices. Mix well, season, bowl set over a pan of simmering water (don’t large mixing bowl (see tip), then cover with cling film then chill for 30 minutes. let the water touch the bowl) and warm for 3-4 touching the surface of the curd so it doesn’t form minutes. Stir in 125g of the sugar and gently a skin. Leave to cool to room temperature. Photographs Toby Scott 2. Meanwhile, put the 6 whole eggs into a pan of heat until dissolved. Strain into a heatproof jug. Styling Davina Perkins boiling water and cook at a rolling boil for 6 minutes. 4. Put the juice of the other 2 lemons into a small Drain and cool under cold running water, then shell. 2. Whisk 3 whole eggs into the juice, then pour pan and heat until just simmering. Remove from the Makes 6 the mix back into the bowl and set over the heat, squeeze the water out of the gelatine, then stir Hands-on time 35 min, plus chilling 3. Divide the chilled prawn mixture into 6 equal simmering water. Stir with a spatula for 10-12 into the hot lemon juice until dissolved. Stir the juice mixture into the lemon curd. MAKE AHEAD The cooked, chilled, portions. With floured hands roll each into a ball and minutes in a figure-of-eight motion, scraping the bottom of the bowl so it doesn’t stick and flatten into a disc. Put a disc in your palm, then put a 5. In a mixing bowl, whisk the cream to soft peaks, eggs can be stored in the fridge, curdle. As it starts to thicken, turn the heat shelled egg on top and use your other hand to wrap then gently fold into the lemon curd. In a large, wrapped in cling film, for 2-3 days. down slightly. It’s ready when the curd drops it in the prawn mixture. Set aside, then repeat with spotlessly clean bowl whisk the egg whites until off the spoon leaving a ribbon trail in the bowl. the other 5 eggs. they form stiff peaks when the whisk is removed Ingredients then, using a large metal spoon, fold into the lemon 4. Beat the remaining 3 eggs and put in a shallow bowl. Sunflower oil for frying Serves 8 mixture. Gently spoon the mixture into 8 glasses Put the breadcrumbs and flour into 2 other separate Hands-on time 30 min, plus chilling and chill for 3 hours. 2 banana shallots, finely chopped shallow bowls. Roll a wrapped egg in flour, then beaten 500g cooked, peeled sustainable egg, then breadcrumbs, shaking off the excess at each Ingredients 6. Meanwhile, make the candied lemon. Slice the prawns step. Roll the egg in your hands to press in the crumbs, Finely grated zest 2 lemons and juice 4 whole lemon into 3mm rounds using a sharp knife. then repeat with the remaining eggs. large lemons, plus 1 whole lemon Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the slices Handful freshly chopped dill for 30 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to Zest and juice 1 lemon 5. Fill a deep heavy-based pan three-quarters full 425g caster sugar kitchen paper to drain, then repeat. with sunflower oil, then heat to 170°C on a digital ½ tsp ground allspice 3 large free range eggs, plus 3 whites 7. Put 250ml cold water and the remaining 300g probe thermometer (or until a cube of bread turns ¼ small nutmeg, grated 35g unsalted butter, cubed sugar into a pan over a medium heat. When the golden brown in 30-40 seconds). Deep-fry the eggs, sugar has dissolved, add the lemon slices, reduce 9 medium free range eggs 2 at a time, for 6-7 minutes or until deep golden. You 2 gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water (we used Costa) the heat and cook for 15 minutes. Lay out the slices 100g plain flour, plus extra to dust may need to turn the eggs in the hot oil to make sure on a tray lined with baking paper to dry. they brown evenly. Serve hot while the egg is still 200ml double cream 150g fresh fine breadcrumbs 8. Serve the chilled mousses with the candied lemon warm and runny, or cool and chill and serve as a snack 8 ginger biscuits, broken into pieces (see Make Ahead). and ginger biscuit pieces.

PER SERVING 435kcals, 20.9g fat (3.9g saturated), PER SERVING 457kcals, 21g fat (12g saturated), 29.2g protein, 32.2g carbs (2g sugars), 1.83g salt, 1.1g 5.9g protein, 61.1g carbs (56.9g sugars), fibre 0.29g salt, 0.2g fibre

34 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 35 Did you know that

use free range eggs in all of their recipes?

Fig & vanilla custard tart Method 1. Put the flour in a large bowl and rub in the butter Ingredients using your fingertips to make fine breadcrumbs.

For the pastry: 2. Stir in the sugar. 2 tsp caster sugar 3. Stir enough of the beaten egg into the mix to 75g butter form a soft dough. Knead briefly, wrap in clingfilm 175g plain flour and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge. 1 egg 4. Heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5 (170°C for fan ovens). For the filling: ✂ 3 tbsp clear honey 5. Roll out the pastry and use to line one 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin per tart being made. 300ml double cream 1 free range egg 6. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with As supporters of The British Hen Welfare Trust, baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes. 5 Turkish figs we’d like to give you £1 off any Higgidy Pie, 1 vanilla pod 7. Remove the paper and beans. Return the pastry Quiche, Frittata or pack of Sausage Rolls 1 egg yolk case to the oven for 5 minutes; remove and set aside to cool.

Preparation 8. In a clean bowl, whisk together the cream, egg Beat the eggs. Chill the butter. and egg yolk and half the honey until combined. Terms & Conditions: Split the vanilla pods and This special token can only be used to the value of £1 against any Higgidy scrape out and retain the product when purchased at Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Boots, Budgens, Booths, the 9. Stir the vanilla seeds into the cream mixture Co-operative Food, ASDA, Tesco or any other participating stockist seeds. Halve the Turkish figs. and pour it into the pastry case. & presented with the product at the checkout. Offer subject to availability. Valid only in the UK. This token has no cash value, no change given. Copied, damaged or defaced tokens will not be accepted. Valid until 31.12.18. 10. Nestle the figs, cut-side up, into the custard This token is not for resale or republication. mixture and drizzle over the remaining honey. 9 918880 041000 Higgidy, Shoreham-by-Sea, BN43 6PB, 01273 446830. £1

www.higgidy.co.uk 11. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the custard has just set.

36 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Now available in an easy-to-handleFRESH 50 ltr bale BED For

Three-onion Pissaladiére Method Serves 6 1. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the red and white Ingredients onions and the shallots along with a good 2 tbsp olive oil pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with a lid A generous knob of butter and cook for 20 minutes or until soft.

2 red onions, sliced 2. Uncover the pan, increase the heat and 2 large white onions, sliced continue to cook for a further 10 minutes, 6 small shallots, cut into wedges stirring, until golden. Stir in the garlic and most of the thyme and cook for a final 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped minute, then spoon into a bowl and set 1 small bunch of fresh thyme, aside to cool completely. leaves stripped A little plain flour, for dusting 3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6 and put a baking sheet in to heat up. 375g all-butter puff pastry (Your cold baking tray with the pissaladière 2 large sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, will need to sit on this to help conduct the drained and thinly sliced heat and cook the pastry.)

Approx. 15 pitted black olives 4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 x 50g tin of anchovy fillets in olive oil, out your pastry to about 2mm thick and drained and cut in half lengthways trim it to fit your baking tray. Score a border 1 medium free range egg, lightly beaten around the edge, about 2cm in from the Salt and freshly ground sides. Spoon the golden onions over the A natural soft straw bedding containing centre of your pastry, spreading them out black pepper to the border in an even layer. Scatter with pine oil for ultimate freshness, helping Equipment: the sun-dried tomatoes and olives, then your chickens to feel warm and cosy. lay the anchovy fillets over the top in a 1 shallow rectangular lattice pattern. Available in big value 100 litre baking tray, approx. 33cm x 22cm 5. Brush the pastry border with a little beaten and easy-to-handle 50 litre bales. Recipe courtesy of egg and place the baking tray in the oven, on the hot baking sheet. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Sprinkle with a few more fresh thyme leaves and serve. www.dengie.com

38 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Contact 0845 345 5115 for friendly advice on the Dengie Help line 40 Chicken Welfare &Egg. and Food Together. “Oh yes, this anglemakesmy legs

look great.” Gallery “I thinkher dresscomplements my feathers rather well.” “I dohopemy bald bitsaren’t showing…” it for usif we keepstill long enoughfor “We’ve beentold there’s corn in “You PROMISED she wouldn’t ruffle up my feathers.” a photo.” “Well, heobviously didn’t find our dust bathing story as Chicken Welfare &Egg. and Food Together. interesting as we did.” 41 Spring has sprung! With spring comes the promise of longer, brighter Spring also brings a renewed effort to get everything sparkly If sorting out the hen house is top of your agenda, we’ve days and, with any luck, more eggs from your girls. clean. This means that a) more storage is needed and b) you may be got just the tools to help. spending more time in the kitchen whipping up lots of goodies with them! If that’s the case, we’ve got your storage covered and Chicken Vet some hen homeware to make you smile while you’re cooking. Poultry Disinfectant

6-egg boxes This handy disinfectant can be sprayed around

your hen house on a Available in pink, regular basis and left blue and green, to do its job. these boxes will

make your eggs It’s particularly effective stand out from against red mite. the rest. Virkon S £2.49 £3.50 This Defra-approved £8.99 for 10 disinfectant can be used for general coop cleaning Egg Skelter 12 and 24 and disinfecting, and is also

useful for boot dipping. A great way to store your From delicious eggs, and we have a gold one available £14.99 Chicken Vet Dri Bed exclusively on our website. A super absorbent, deodorising £16.40 powder for use in and around the hen house. Henny Penny Tea Towel

Who wouldn’t relish drying the dishes with a Interkokask

towel this cute?! £10.99 Comes in an easy-to-use spray bottle and targets £7.99 bacteria, viruses and red mite eggs. Chicken & Egg Gauntlet

Try to focus on the hot oven dishes, £17.99 rather than the pretty hens on this oven glove, as tough as that may be!

42 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 43 Gaynor’s Tips Stars Red bottoms of the month It is not uncommon after a re-homing day for the team at Hen Central to receive a photo of a hen with a red bottom. Worried adopters often think that the hen is about to prolapse or has an Every day you send us such lovely, endearing photos of your hens, egg stuck (exposed bottoms can have a rather and here are just a few which caught our eye. egg-shaped look about them), but generally a red bottom is nothing to worry about. Caged hens are often poorly feathered and this lack of feathering accentuates a bottom that would go unnoticed if she had a full set of fluffy knickers. STAR OF The redness is due to by other THE MONTH hens, exposure to the elements and/or bare In a break from the norm, one of our bottomed contact with the ground. stars of the month this issue is not a chicken, but the Hatcher Animal Welfare Trust, set up by Roberta In most cases this redness will subside as the Hatcher who loved animals. We are hen starts to lead a free range life with new extremely grateful to the Trust who feather quills erupting to provide her with a recently donated £15,000 to fund new crates for our re-homing days shiny new set of feathers. If you are concerned in memory of Roberta Hatcher, and about curious pecking by other flock members, we hope she would be proud of our a coloured antiseptic spray can be used to achievements. protect the redness; your hen won’t mind having a blue or purple bottom for a few weeks.

STAR OF THE MONTH ‘Girly Girl’ here is so called because she arrived at her new home complete with a dirty bottom, resulting in the need for a bath or, as her new keepers called it, a ‘spa day’! Needless to say her new mum, Theressa Smith, fell totally in love with Girly Girl after three days. Ah … the power of ex-bats.

44 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 45 Gaynor’s Tips

Seed for thought?

Easter for many means it’s time to turn attention to those neglected Natural behaviour back gardens. When the skies turn blue and the sun pokes its head out there’s nothing better than pottering around sorting out flower beds while your feathered friends cluck at your feet. There is nothing more enchanting than seeing a hen having a really vigorous dust bath. My own hens choose the dry soil underneath some With that in mind, why not plant some herbs The green fingered among you can for your hens? We’ve teamed up with Dobies grow herbs such as lavender for your nest trees where they create craters resembling the surface of the moon. who have developed an exclusive range of boxes and marigolds to boost yolk colour. Often when I approach I can just see the top of a sticking up before four Herby Hen Seed Collections. a shower of soil is flung up into the air. My hens know that this is the best We’ve got three full collections to way to clean their feathers and keep parasites at bay. For those without Better yet, for every collection sold £1 comes give away to our readers; to be in with a dry sheltered area, a homemade dust bath consisting of wood ash, back to the charity to help more hens. And a chance of winning simply email supporters can get 10% off the range with [email protected] with a photo of diatomaceous earth and multi -purpose compost in an old cat litter an extra 5% coming back to us! If that’s not your girls in their gardens before 30 April. tray works equally well. This behaviour is so instinctive that even a hen gardening goals we don’t know what is. without any feathers will dust bath and go through the same procedure Good Cluck! as her better feathered sisters. The two naked ladies above are about The entire range is made up of herbs to take the plunge; to see them in action search for British Hen Welfare your girls can eat, lucky things! It includes Trust on YouTube and visit our channel. an insecticide collection, a health To buy the herbs, visit www.dobies.co.uk, collection, an egg collection and using the code BHWT18 to get your discount. a general maintenance collection. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 47 The Chicken Vet Are you worried about The home of healthy chickens your hen's health?

It’s human nature to worry about Article by John Kenyon BVetMed MRCVS our pets, but often there are simple explanations for a change in behaviour. Check your husbandry When it comes to your hens, there are some common signs of ailment or Good husbandry will go a very long way in sickness to be aware of. preventing disease in the first place, and can also bring birds back to good health when mild disease has crept in to the flock. Water Is she sick? should be clean and fresh, and replaced at Check whether your hen is drinking and least once every day. Birds must be fed on eating normally. Then look for any other appropriate diets - commercial layer rations abnormal behaviours. Is she being bullied by are best - with minimal treats. other hens? If so, it may be best to separate the bullies temporarily. Also check her vent Mixed grit (soluble and insoluble grit) should to see whether or not she is laying. A sudden be given ad lib to help with digestion and break in laying may mean she has become egg shell quality. Be sure that the coop ‘egg bound’, which is a fairly serious environment is as clean as possible. Hens condition and may require veterinary should have dry, fresh bedding such as assistance. Also consider whether just one wood shavings and clean straw in nest of your birds is behaving abnormally or boxes. Also, be sure to check crevices and several. Some contagious diseases can corners of the coop for red mite, which can spread rapidly between birds. irritate the birds and spread disease.

48 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Examine the bird Droppings and diarrhoea A short examination is a good idea. If a hen has diarrhoea but is still active, then A re-homed commercial layer should consider adding a beneficial supplement weigh around 2kg. Check whether she is to the diet, such as ‘Biostop’, which contains in respiratory distress, which is shown by tannins to slow intestinal passage, or excessively laboured breathing or open beak ‘oregano plus’, which contains essential oils ‘panting’. It is useful to assess the birds' ‘crop’, to help calm down intestinal upsets. These an out-pouching of the oesophagus that products are available from the Chicken Vet sits at the base of the bird’s neck to the right website. hand side. If you think the crop is abnormal, re-assess four hours later when it should naturally have emptied into the stomach. If it Chicken Chat still feels abnormal then it would be best to seek veterinary assistance. Your Letters

Keith Fleming: This is Lilly (in the hat) with her best friends. Her grandad, Keith Fleming, told us: “Rowena and Luna settled in very quickly when they joined Willma and Nick our elder-hen. Within two hours they were exploring the garden and learning to scratch for juicy morsels. They always run down the garden to greet us whenever we open the door and have really enriched our lives. Thank you for the great work If a hen has diarrhoea and is lethargic or that you do; we are encouraging all our reluctant to eat and drink then she will most friends to rescue hens too.” likely require veterinary intervention and a short course of antibiotics. Follow the course of antibiotics with a course of probiotics such as ‘Beryls Friendly Bacteria’ (www.chickenvet.co.uk), as this will help birds repopulate their intestines with friendly bacteria.

Check your hen over for signs of wounds. Further help Minor wounds can heal but other birds in the If you are still concerned about flock will be attracted to peck the wound the health of your birds, contact and can worsen the injuries easily. Major a local veterinary practice which is wounds will require veterinary help. Look at confident in dealing with backyard your hen’s feathering; she may look sick but birds. The location of your nearest could just be going through a natural moult chicken-friendly practice can be process. If your hen has lost a lot of feathers found using the practice finder but is otherwise well within herself, there is on the Chicken Vet website. This photo was sent in by BHWT rarely anything to worry about, but be sure to supporter Shona Young. She told check whether or not other birds are feather www.chickenvet.co.uk pecking her and deal with this if necessary. us: “Here’s Bara showing Coll that sometimes it’s just easier to stand on your tippy toes and stretch!” 50 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 51 Social Scraps

Kim and Carla larking around on their Little Eggrit here really captured keepers' fancy living room chair made our Instagram followers' hearts for one of our most popular caption with her floppy comb and skinny competitions yet! It reached over 13,000 little legs. Over 220 liked her 'just of you, and the winning caption was re-homed' photo. Jayne Richards' 'Hoola Coop'! Brilliant.

This gorgeous girl was the 600,000th hen re-homed by the charity. She landed herself a spot in Kensington Garden's coop – a right royal retirement! Our tweet about the news reached over 7,000 BHWT supporters.

Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 53 Do you want to re-home some hens? Call 01884 860084 or visit www.bhwt.org.uk And Finally...

Scotland

Berkshire - Crowthorne Cambridgeshire - Godmanchester Scotland Cumbria - Carlisle Cornwall - Liskeard & Redruth Devon - South Molton &South Zeal Derbyshire - Ashbourne Dorset - Blandford Forum & Bourton Essex - Great Totham Hampshire - Rowland's Castle Hertfordshire - Bishops Stortford Carlisle Northumberland Isle of Wight - Newport Kent - Biggin Hill Lancashire - Higham & St Helens Lincolnshire South - Stamford Yorkshire North Monmouthshire - Lydart Norfolk - King Lynn Yorkshire South Milton Keynes - North Crawley Lancashire Northumberland - Gateshead Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire - Newark Oxfordshire - Didcot Derbyshire Lincolnshire Norfolk Scotland - Denny Shropshire Some of you may recognise little Jennifer here Scotland - Perth from our Christmas Appeal. She arrived with a Cambridgeshire Scotland - Stonehaven bald bottom and sore skin, but went to live out West Mids Shopshire - Overton a life of luxury with our founder, Jane, and has Hertfordshire Suffolk - Baylham & Eye Suolk been thoroughly spoilt ever since. Surrey - Cranleigh Monmouth Milton Keynes Sussex - Chichester South Wales Essex Jennifer’s day now starts with a hand-fed warm Oxfordshire Wales - Boncath & Swansea Wiltshire mash whilst seated on Jane’s lap; she then West Midlands - Allesley nr Coventry Berkshire spends her time with beautiful best friend, Wiltshire - Hinton Parva nr Swindon Kent Buff Orpington Hetty, and snacks on sweetcorn Yorkshire North - Sand Hutton nr York Hampshire before retiring. No wonder Jennifer’s feathers Yorkshire South - Rotherham Sussex Devon Surrey have returned and she is back to looking her Dorset best. Jennifer is one of the lucky ones, and Cornwall we’d like to know if you have a happy hen that may fit our ‘And Finally …’ slot. If so, email [email protected].

54 Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. Chicken & Egg. Welfare and Food Together. 55