Featured Creatures – The California Girls

Meet the California Girls!

In 2013 CAS took part in an unprecedented rescue of over 2000 chickens. Spearheaded by a coalition of animal sanctuaries from around the country,  this massive operation saved the lives of many young hens who were scheduled to die at a California egg production facility, their “usefulness” over when they could no longer lay eggs quickly enough.

For the entirety of their short lives, these poor hens lived in cramped cages, never seeing the sky or walking on grass. The hens arrived at CAS hungry for both food and a new life. Within an hour of their arrival, one particular hen was seen picking up pieces of straw to make a cozy nest. We named her Adele (pictured above) and she now races out everyday to bask in the sun and nestle in the grass.

Today, the hens have all reached a healthy weight and their feathers are growing in nicely. They finally are living full lives, scratching in their yard during the day and bedding down in their roomy aviary at night. Tamsin (pictured right) likes to strut around the perimeter of their garden, checking in on all her friends.

The CAS staff is committed to helping each hen heal from the trauma she has endured.  We have placed many of the California Girls in their loving adoptive homes, but there are still 85 individuals available for adoption.

Contact Adoption and Sponsorship Coordinator Erin Murphy at erin@casanctuary.org or 845-336-8447 x 232 for more info on these charming chickens!

Check out the news coverage of the historic rescue:

Rescued Hens Fly Cross-Country, No Flapping Required, to Find New Lives – New York Times

Chickens on a plane! 1,000 to take red-eye to ‘freedom’ – TODAY

1,150 chickens will fly the coop to New York thanks to anonymous benefactor – The Guardian