More than 1,500 hens were able to fly for the first time thanks to animal rescuers from California’s Animal Place.
Spending 56 weeks on an egg farm, these hens were stripped of several liberties, like walking on the ground and spreading their wings, according to the non-profit sanctuary.
“If they wanted to nest in a bed of straw, they could not. If they wanted to experience the sun on their feathers, they could not. If they wanted to dust-bathe or perch at night, they could not,” Animal Place wrote on its Facebook page. “Their experience of the world was one cruel deprivation after another.”
In the video below, we see the moment the hens are given a chance to do as they please. The second they leave the crates, many of them chose to flap their feathers, while others preferred to walk around. Much like the mountain lion that was set free after spending 20 years in chains, these hens are a sight to see.
“The hens terrified to flee transport crates were carefully lifted by a rescuer's hands and placed on solid ground. Soon too, even the most frightened hen would decide her own fate — a nest box maybe, or perhaps a jaunt over to the lowest perch, or maybe simply stopping and taking it all in with her acute eyesight,” the organization added.
Watch below, and please SHARE if you're glad these hens got a second chance at life!
