chickens get resPECKED at Sunday’s Vancouver marathon


Date: May 2, 2009

 

Henny at Vancouver marathon

Marathoner to run free for the chickens

The Vancouver Humane Society’s six foot chicken mascot Henny will be cheering on runner Ashley Fruno at this Sunday’s Vancouver Marathon in celebration of Chicken OUT! and International Respect for Chickens Day on
May 4th.

 

“Henny wants people to know that battery cages for egg laying hens are cruel, and that Canada’s 26 million hens simply want to run free like those in the Marathon!” says Fruno.

 

According to the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS), chickens are often viewed as birdbrained, but these birds score as high on intelligence tests as dogs and some primates. When egg-laying hens are denied access to a nest and confined in wire cages so small they can barely move, let alone flap their wings, they become extremely frustrated and stressed, and their welfare is compromised.

 

“As Metro Vancouverites, we can be very proud of the decisions made by our local universities and city councils to serve only cage-free eggs on campus and at city food venues and events,” said Leanne McConnachie, Director of the VHS’s Chicken OUT! campaign. “On May 4th we can celebrate the gains made so far for hens in B.C. and continue to encourage consumers who buy eggs to shop with compassion and purchase only cage-free, certified organic eggs.”

 

Approximately 626 million chickens are raised for meat and egg production each year in Canada with over 90 percent of egg laying hens raised in tiny battery cages.

 

International Respect for Chickens Day was launched in 2005 by Virginia-based United Poultry Concerns and is designed to celebrate the beauty, dignity and life of chickens and to protest against the bleakness of their lives in factory farming operations.

 

The Vancouver Humane Society's Chicken OUT! campaign has encouraged 13 Canadian post-secondary institutions - including BCIT, Langara College, UBC and SFU - and 13 B.C. municipalities - including Vancouver, Richmond, Pitt Meadows and the Metro Vancouver Regional District - to support cage-free egg purchasing policies. To learn more about the campaign, visit Chicken OUT!