Strawberry

When I first saw her, her little body was squashed up against the cage and her long bottom beak and roughly cut shorter top beak jutted through the bars to her neighbours cage. She looked frightened and worried. Her little face told a story of fear and sadness. It’s hard to pick the girls I want to take, because I want to take them all, but sometimes there are some that just jump out at me and I take them with me. They are indeed the lucky ones, but don’t think for a minute that I forget about the thousands we leave behind. I never do. They are always there, always there in the back of my mind with a deep regret that I couldn’t take them as well.

She was rescued that night with ten other hens, five who were rehomed to beautiful vegan homes, three who would live in my main flock and two who would live in the special needs hen flock. Strawberry was one of the two who now lives in the special needs flock. She was introduced with Babushka who only has one eye. Strawberry doesn’t really fit in to the category of “special needs”, but Babushka does and Babushka needed someone to help her join the flock so she wouldn’t be mercilessly picked on.

I named her “Strawberry” after Strawberry Shortcake because if she was a person, she’d have freckles on her sweet face and have strawberry coloured hair. Her rounded body shape also reminded me of a tiny strawberry.  I named her Strawberry, but perhaps I should have named her “Zippy” or “OMG I’M SO EXCITED” because this girl is just so excited about her new life. She runs around all day in whirl of “OMG WHAT IS THIS AMAZING THING!”. It’s beautiful to watch, yet it’s also so sad. It’s so sad that she had never got to touch dirt before or look at a leaf or pick up a piece of grit in her beak. She is literally overjoyed with her new life and wants to do it all at once.

Strawberry loves people, she’s a people hen. Even after everything that has been done to her at the hands of humans, she still comes running up to us with such joy on her little face. She follows us around all day long. She chats to us constantly, she’s obviously telling us all about the new things she’s discovered and food is the most amazing thing in the entire world! Imagine having all those new foods after just eating bland, cheap crumble dust in a tin tray through bars your entire life. It must be absolute bliss.

Sweet little Strawberry’s zest for her new life has just begun. Check back here to see new photos of her new life as time goes on.

Please don’t use my images without permission. All images are Copyright Tamara Kenneally