Two chickens who were so badly treated they went bald are roasting after they were given -wooly jumpers.
The birds – called Sage and Onion – were kept in such poor conditions at a battery farm they lost all their feathers.
Their owners stopped looking after them properly because they weren’t laying eggs regularly.
Sage and Onion were taken into care completely bald and would have struggled to cope with wintery weather.
But they are now on the road to recovery thanks to a pair of specialist ‘chicken jumpers’ to keep them warm.
The two Staunton rescue hens were given the pullovers by new owner Sue Christy, 47, of Eldersfield near Gloucester.
Sue, a counsellor psychotherapist, said: “I did try making the jumpers but it was a complete disaster.
”Surprisingly I managed to find some on eBay, it’s amazing what you can find on there.
“They seem very happy with their jumpers, I think they like being warm again. They seem happy enough.
“When they come out of the farm some of them, as cruel as it sounds, just look oven ready.
“They have no feathers and they are pecked to pieces, they have scars, cuts and scabs all over their back.
“They have never known day light and they have never known fresh air and when we get them they are in a really sorry state.
“They are also very cold because they are so bald. I just feel so sorry for them.”
Sue got the chickens through Hen Welfare Trust, a charity which rehomed the birds after commercial farms are finished with them.
She added: “The reason I’m kind of giving my time to chickens is that it is quite a serious message.
“These are rescue hens and they were due for slaughter from the battery farm they were on.
“Around 60,000 hens face the slaughter each year when they stop laying regular eggs. Hopefully people will think twice about battery eggs.”
