Knit wit

Cozying up to rescued chickens, British-style

By Culinate staff

March 5, 2010

In America, we have havens for mistreated farm animals, such as the Farm Sanctuary. But they tend to focus on large, fuzzy mammals, such as goats and cows. In England, however, a group of dedicated knitters has been providing aid and comfort to battery chickens — birds that have outlived their egg-laying years and would normally be slaughtered — that have been purchased and slated for adoption as pets.

As the BBC recently reported, the knitters have been making sweaters for the chickens, which tend to lose their feathers under the stress of caged factory life. The birds wear the jumpers — complete with buttons — for two weeks until new feathers grow in.