In Cornwall, England, Nicola Congdon and her mother, Ann, are really getting into knitting. After all, it’s the season for it.
But instead of knitting human-size sweaters, their projects are a bit smaller…
That’s because their sweaters aren’t made for humans at all! They’re for about 30 of the 60 hens that live on Nicola and Ann’s property.
These 30 chickens are rescued battery hens, meaning they spent much of their lives in tiny cages producing eggs.
These hens, raised in captivity indoors, have trouble acclimating to living outside. Many of them also lack the feathers they need to keep warm, which puts them at risk during the cold months.
So to help them stay cozy in the winter, Nicola and Ann decided to help them out by knitting chicken-size sweaters in all different colors. And they really help, just like how on the other side of the world, one kindly man creates sweaters for penguins in need.
See how these two women are helping chickens — as well as humans — below, and let them inspire you to help someone in need today!
(h/t: BoredPanda, Mashable)
The chickens that have come out of captivity are ill-prepared for the cold, and many of them lack feathers entirely.
“We are doing it for the ex-battery hens for when they come out of their poor conditions for them to put on in the cold weather,” Nicola explains.
She and Ann, her mother, have been knitting chicken sweaters for the past six months.
“It’s important to make people aware of the poor conditions the hens live in and the fact that they have no feathers when they are retired,” Nicola says, but she’s also pleased with the practical aspects of the sweaters: “They keep them warm and makes the chickens easy to identify.”
As for the chickens, they seem to like the sweaters, too. Nicola says that they have no issues getting the sweaters onto the chickens, and that the chickens don’t try to remove them.
She and Ann have an extensive collection of the tiny, sleeveless sweaters. As the world has taken notice of their creations, chicken owners all over the world have sent in requests — and are willing to pay for them.
But Ann and Nicola have decided that instead of selling the sweaters for profit, they’ll be donating all the proceeds from the sweaters to an AIDS orphanage in South Africa.
If you can’t help but smile at animals in clothing, then be sure to check out some love-action shots of Ann and Nicola’s chickens in the video below.
Be sure to SHARE their story, too, and you can not only help some chickens, but some kids in need, too!
