Unsecure chicken perches

[Mollie333]

Hello everyone, i visited HHH today, hoping to see some happy hens, and chicks.

i got in there and you have to walk through a shop, we brought two bags of animal feed at £2:50 a small bag. first we went into the 'incubator' and 'chick room', the chicks were about 7days old, the room was very gold and also had baby rabbits in there, aswell as one incubator, they were sweet but way too cold for baby chicks, i think. They had a small heat lamp also, the water was full of small sawdust particles so they was not drinking the water, the food bowl had been nocked over and a DEAD chick was in the corner, i know these things happen but we told a supporvisior and she said ''well i know, its natural isnt it? im not picking it out'' so obviously i really kicked off,there was young children in there looking at the chicks and all she said was she isnt getting it out..Tut!

 

The appreance of Highfields is beautiful, but im afraid that just really DIDNT make my day- at all.. So hoping we could see some 'HAPPY HENS' we continued.. We saw 3 coops (fairly small) with 5 chickens in each, labeled 'rare breeds' again, these did not have fresh water.

We continued on, There was a big field of hybrid egg layers, (all white and ginger lol!) some had there freathers pulled out by other chickens, and really didnt look very attractive birds! they was lovely and friendly though, it was a warm day, still no water to be seen.

 

like this wasn't enough to tick me off i then saw one of the staff kick a very noisy cockeral, i said to him '' Hmm, what was that for?!?'' and he just grunted and got back to stacking up the eggs..

i went to happy hens around 3 years ago, it was a wonderfull place where the chickens seemed happy, now im just really not sure..

the rest of the farm-yard animals seemed cared for, just around the fileds of chickens, the staff seemed like they had a long day, and not very polite.

Sorry about the essay i just thought i might tell you about my day out to 'happy' hens.

have you every been to HHH? What was it like?

[chicken bark]

I have been to HHH a few times (I used to live in Hilton, Derby) but not for about 2 years.

 

Had good experiences most times and the first time I went it was free as long as you paid for some animal food - I seem to remember that changed later.

 

Maybe they are victims of their own success and trying to do too much.

 

I enjoyed it at first because it felt like you were having a peek at a working farm - not going to a zoo type thing.

 

Sad you witnessed such bad things - it is a shame if it has gone so far downhill.

[theherd123]

Im sorry to read about your unhappy day at Highfields Happy Hens. It doesnt sound like you had a good day out and the conditions you described dont sound great.

 

Did you ask to speak to the manager when you were there to express your concern? If not, why not right them a letter informing them about your day and observations?

[Alis girls]

is this the Happy Hens who lay the eggs advertised on TV? They appear to ride on a tractor

[Mollie333]

Hi everyone,

i didn't speak to the manager but i spoke to the person selling the food and he said that they were having a busy day (Still not okay to leave the dead chick in there, ect..) and he said that i could make a complaint. so i did, because the manager/ owner 'wasn't in', it used to be a great day outing, just gone down hill.. I think the 'free range' eggs that they sell at tescos are from there..

 

i was so temped to buy some chickens from there, 10 for £10 hybrid hens.. but i'm afraid i just cant take anymore hens. should have some coming soon, too.

such a shame about that place..

[Roobaloo]

is this the Happy Hens who lay the eggs advertised on TV? They appear to ride on a tractor

 

That's the Happy Egg Company...based in Lincoln!

[Chucky1]

Hi Mollie sorry to read about your visit. I too had thought that your post referred to the Happy Egg co, so thanks for the clarification Roobaloo.

 

It's a shame because I like to dream that there is a place for people treating their girls well on a commercial scale.

 

I think theherd's idea of a follow up letter is a good one

[Plum]

I think they are staffed by people who have been dealt bad cards in life so I guess you are going to get all sorts. I understand the philosophy of the place is to turn their lives around as well as have happy hens.

 

I haven't been but a friend says there are bins with dead chickens in, but she's not reported the lack of water which is a real concern. Hope it was just a bad day

[Mollie333]

As my dad just pointed out, there was a chickens wing on the roadside. Not picked up, even though staff walked down that road severall times..

 

we rang up later that day and asked why they did not have water, they replied with, 'they must of nocked it over - we dont fill it up every time they nock it over' i was so disguested.

 

i dont think i will be visiting happy hens again..

[Chucky Mama]

I think that is is vital that you contact them by letter to tell them of your findings. It sounds like things to change and the management needs to know. I would phone and request the name of the manager and address a letter to them by name. I doubt the staff are very highly paid and there may be very good members who love the animals and others that don't care at all. It is a shame as these members will give the place a bad name and also undermine the hard work done by those members of staff who care. If you can pick out individuals in your letter it may help.

[Egluntyne]

I agree. The management need to be made aware. The water issue is the most worrying of all. It goes against the 5 freedoms, and common sense too. Animals should have access to clean drinking water at all times.

 

The conditions you describe hardly fit with their ethos, as described below (see the pdf files), so one assumes that something has gone wrong in the day to day running of the place.

 

**Click**

[sadietoo]

is this the Happy Hens who lay the eggs advertised on TV? They appear to ride on a tractor

 

No that's a company which is owned (and imo hypocritically promoted) by "Ooops, word censored!"le Foods

 

On their website they say half of their eggs are Barn free range or organic...so way less than half are actually free range. So Happy Eggs is just a brand promoted by a larger company who doesn't actually care that much about hen welfare apparently. Check it out here

 

http://www."Ooops, word censored!"lefoods.co.uk/what-we-do/shell-eggs/

[Chucky1]

is this the Happy Hens who lay the eggs advertised on TV? They appear to ride on a tractor

 

No that's a company which is owned (and imo hypocritically promoted) by "Ooops, word censored!"le Foods

 

On their website they say half of their eggs are Barn free range or organic...so way less than half are actually free range. So Happy Eggs is just a brand promoted by a larger company who doesn't actually care that much about hen welfare apparently. Check it out here

 

http://www."Ooops, word censored!"lefoods.co.uk/what-we-do/shell-eggs/

 

So it was all just advertising - thanks for pointing that out.

[Mollie333]

I made a complaint and mentiond all this at happy hens. I also rang up and they said the manager wasnt in but i spoke to a member of staff and they said they was having a 'bad day' and that the chick should of been picked out, and the waters are full up. they had one water inside the coope (about a foot long and 5 inches thick) for all the chickens, a very long way from the field where they was placed. A real shame about this place, i went three or so years ago and like someone said (sorry cant remeber the name) it was like you was looking into a working farm, the eggs were free range, and not in these urrm.. pens. some of the chickens are free range, but the others are egg laying machines.

LITERALLY. There is a place where you can 'Collect your own eggs, then pay for them at the shop', that is a tunnel, you walk through and either side of you is eggs, like that have fell down from some sort of shaft? the chickens are on a sort of metal thing with holes in so the leavings and broken eggs can fall down into the bottom, it has around 2500 chickens in there, it is horribly warm and caustrophobic and the droppings under the chickens(which we couldnt see so good) smelt afwul, and rotting.

they had a sign on the door of the tunnel, if you break a egg, you must pay for it, chickens get cleared out (slaughtered) at 70 weeks when they stop laying, then new pullets get put in.

you can also buy these hens, 10 for £10, i reccomend getting these hens because most of them are in a quite bad state.. and cheap, good layers, compared to mine at home, these chickens dont look very good cared for.. they just need some TLC.. : )

[Chucky Mama]

Oh dear, it does not sound at all good. I would perhaps have a word with the local R.S.P.C.A Inspector if you are really concerned about welfare issues there. It is difficult though as whilst we all know what our ideal is and this sounds like is was well below yours, they may well be operating well within 'acceptable' welfare conditions.

[Mollie333]

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Sorry i've not replied on this..

i had some bad news on cheryl..