Chickens Get Woolly Jumpers

Faline · #1 ● 02-03-2012, 03:01 PM

The well-dressed farmyard animals have been decked out in snazzy jumpers to ward off the arctic temperatures that have gripped Britain this week.

Donations of mini-knitwear for the ex-battery chickens have flooded in to Green Meadow Animal Sanctuary after owner Daphne Wain appealed to knitters following a delivery of 14 ex-battery hens.

More than 60 individual woolly creations from as far away as Canada have been sent in to the sanctuary in in Pattingham, Staffordshire.

The chickens arrived traumatised by their previous life, wasted away and with very few feathers, so Daphne appealed for help through her local newspaper - and was inundated with generous jumpers.

Grandmother Daphne said: "They must be the best dressed chickens in the world. They love wearing the jumpers.

"Being battery hens they had never been outside before we got them.

"When we let them in the hutch they huddled tightly together because they were scared of all the space. When we first let them out they took several hours to summon up the courage to even take a look outside.

"Now they love going outside, but we can't let them out for too long because even with their cosy jumpers they're not fat enough to keep warm for long periods, especially in the weather we're having at the moment.

"Because of the state they were in they needed the warm coats in order to go outside, and even to keep them warm inside. But they're doing really well, their feathers are starting to grow back and they are becoming more confident."

Mother-of-three Daphne, who has run the sanctuary for more than 20-years with her husband Clifford, has been amazed by the reaction from across the world in just a few weeks.
"I'm so touched," she said. "The response has been amazing. One lady, from Canada, has been wonderful - she has sent eight so far. We also had some sent from Switzerland.

"They can wear a different jumper every day, and people are still sending them, and some people are branching out to send clothes to our other animals.

"One woman has sent us several coats for our goats."

The jumpers have certainly come at the right time with temperatures forecast to fall to as low as -9C (15F) tonight and snow possible at the weekend.

Nutbutter · #2 ● 02-03-2012, 03:13 PM

spresley616 · #3 ● 02-03-2012, 04:08 PM

I went to a shop and asked for a chicken jumper. The worker said they didn't have one but they had a condom. I said "What's a condom going to do?" and the worker said "Well...it's a pullover for a cock."