Time to put the chicken before the egg

Rescue battery hens Cape Town is winding down their warmer weather hen rescues with mid-to-end April being their last rescue until later this year (spring 2013).

They’ve recently launched their “discreetly report a business” campaign where members of the public can use their website to inform them of companies in their area who do not sell free range products.

This winter, they intend to approach companies to build a relationship and convey easy steps that can be followed to shift towards using free range products as well a start speaking to schools and attending markets where our stall volunteers can talk to the public directly.

Nicola Spurdens founder of Rescue battery hens Cape Town had the following to comment:

“There are many intricacies in our developing country to consider when encouraging a shift in awareness on how we are directly responsible for the caged conditions of hens in this hugely lucrative industry.

Much room for improvement

There is much room for improvement in the public sector where middle to high income families can afford to buy free range eggs but do not. If you search the egg shelves in stores, across a variety or stores, the price of free range eggs vary significantly. Sometimes the price difference is only 80 cents more than grain-fed/barn battery eggs.

Education at a school level is an underutilized opportunity to secure positive attitudes towards the treatment of animals around us. This extension of empathy is key to improving how we relate to one another too.

I believe that if more people see the A4 sized living conditions of a battery hen or carry out research on what happens to male chicks and a hen who’s productivity slows down, it will help remind us of the suffering these birds go through for a product which we may be taking for granted.”

Every time you buy free range eggs, your money is voting for the future of sentient animals as well as your health.

There are many adoption and non adoption ways in which you can get involved to help these hen rescue operations:

• Cape Town

Frustrated by not being able to locate rescue battery hen information on Google for Cape Town, this campaign was recently launched by a family in the Northern suburb of Bothasig to provide South Africans with an easy step-by-step overview on practical ways to help battery hens.

• Johannesburg

Candy Ristic’s tireless and dedicated operation, Chickens As Pets Not Food, has been carrying out great work for ex-battery hens and bird rescue since 2009.