How did I not know before about the world of knitting for chickens?

You wouldn’t think chickens and jumpers naturally went together, but when they’re ex-battery hens, which generally arrive in a terrible state and missing a good many feathers, they take to them surprisingly well. Particularly in the winter when it’s freezing cold and they find themselves strutting around like a freshly-plucked roast.

Now I’m not a knitter myself. Learning properly is on the list of things to do, and I think I’ll start with something easy like a scarf. From what I can make out on the instructions published by Little Hen Rescue, though, it’s a bit like knitting an elongated tea cosy. Little Hen takes in battery hens for rehoming, and has been asking visitors to knit and send in jumpers for their residents. The patterns are impressive, with adjustable neck fastenings and, for expert knitters, a more advanced design that they call the Deluxe Chux Tux.

Farming Today ran a story on Friday about a group from the Womens’ Institute that took in five ex-battery hens, kept them in a greenhouse on their allotments and knitted them some jumpers when the new year weather was bad and it dropped to eight degrees below zero. The chooks liked them so much they started laying eggs again.

The local paper, too, was impressed with Little Hen Rescue’s efforts and ran a story, and posted the above video of the chuffed chooks in their snazzy pulls.

Related posts:

1. Chicken coats
2. Chicken Out campaign
3. Re-thinking that scarf