HEARTWARMING images show ex battery hens that have regrown their feathers after being re-homed.
The two hens were saved from a Scottish farm in August by Wing and a Prayer Hen Rescue and re-homed at Tribe Animal Sanctuary Scotland in Lanark.
When they were brought in, they had lost lots of feathers and were still laying eggs.
The first image shows one of the hens when it was re-homed from the farm, missing feathers on the tops of its wings, neck and head, showing bare papillas.
The hens were given implants that broke up their heavily taxing egg-laying cycle.
The method then allows the hens to heal from the poor health issues that have been exacerbated by frequent laying.
Now, three months later, the two hens have begun growing their feathers back again.
Amazing images show the two now free-roaming hens with significant feather growth, just in time for the colder winter months approaching.
Now looking much bigger too, their implants have prevented them from producing eggs, allowing their bodies to heal.
Tribe Animal Sanctuary Scotland posted the images onto Facebook on Saturday, writing: “Remember we had 10 of our poorliest ex battery hen implanted a couple of weeks back?
“Here they are, growing feathers instead of laying eggs.
“It’s an amazing result, and hopefully they’ll have a beautiful warm coat of feathers in time for the cold weather”
The post has received over 400 likes and over a dozen comments and dozens of comments from animal lovers who were delighted at the progress.
Jacqui Mackenzie wrote: “You guys are amazing, thank you for your compassion and love you give all these babies.”
Sarala McLain said: “Let’s hope their feathers grow quickly as I’m sure it’s probably pretty cold there already.”
Jan Mac commented: “Lovely to see the gorgeous girls transforming into how they should naturally be.”
Margot McMurdo replied: “What a difference in a few weeks. Lucky chooks have all the TLC now.
Speaking today, one of five trustees at Wing and a Prayer Hen Rescue, Maureen Crowley, 62, from Dumfries, said: “We work with farms to re-home hens.”
“It is common for some of the hens to have had feather loss when we receive them.
“They generally come to us quite stressed, because of the unnatural egg laying cycle.
“The impact that can have on them can very easily deplete the hens of calcium.”
Speaking specifically about the loss of the feathers in battery pens Maureen said: “A hen without feathers is often being bullied by the other hens it is living with, it is in their nature to do that.
“When we get to them they are able to recover really quickly once they are allowed outside and given supplements.
“When they are in the cage, they have constant access to food and water and there is normally a nesting box.
“But they are not allowed outside.”
Since 2014 Wing and a Prayer Hen rescue, through their five trustees and ten re-homing centres that are dotted all throughout Scotland, have rescued over 17,000 hens.
