#jo bennett

[dozydawn]

Anna, January 1988.

Photographed by Gik Piccardi.

[comparativetarot]

Justice. Art by Cris Bubastis, from World's Best Tarot: El tarot temático de The Office.

[bardapologist]

say what you want about season 6 but it has some real gems.

[lowqualityscreenshots]

[animalsoffarmsanctuary]

Jo Bennett, Ronni, Chandler, and Friends: From the Egg Industry to Farm Sanctuary

While International Respect for Chickens Month is almost over, there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate each day! Join us in honoring our feathered friends, who show how living compassionately gives us all something to crow about!

Four years ago this month, we rescued more than 200 chickens from a cage-free egg production facility in Pennsylvania. While most of these hens have since gone on to new adoptive homes, pals Jo Bennett, Ronni, and Chandler are still ruling the roost at our New York Shelter.

The girls are living the Farm Sanctuary life in their new flock!

While cage-free facilities are often seen as a humane alternative to battery-cage egg operations, the hens on cage-free farms still experience inhumane treatment. While Jo Bennett, Ronni, and Chandler never spent time in a battery cage, they were packed into a warehouse-like building with barely enough space to move around. Some of these buildings can hold as many as 20,000 birds packed tightly together, prevented from exhibiting natural behaviors such as roosting, dustbathing, and spreading their wings. Many of them are “debeaked,” an extremely painful procedure, conducted without anesthetic or pain relief, in which the sensitive, nerve-filled tips of their beaks are removed to prevent them from injuring each other in such close quarters.

Thankfully, most of the girls from this rescue still had their beaks intact.

At just a fraction of their natural lifespan, hens’ egg production declines, and the industry deems them “spent.” Typically, so-called “spent” hens would be killed, but these girls avoided that awful fate and instead found safe harbor at Farm Sanctuary.

Treating a newly rescued hen for reproductive issues, which are unfortunately common in “layer” hens bred to produce eggs beyond their bodies’ natural capabilities.

Once safe at our New York Shelter, Jo Bennett, Ronni, Chandler, and their friends finally had room to explore, proper care, and kind treatment from humans. For the first time in their lives, they could feel comfortable and at ease. Here, they can stretch their wings and feel the sun on their backs. They value the companionship of their fellow sanctuary residents and have a beautiful family of fellow hens and roosters, including Joe Boo, Luther, Tupac, and Tad. And they have the freedom to simply be themselves.

The hens explore their new home about a week after their rescue.

Chickens like Jo Bennett, Ronni, Chandler, and their flockmates exhibit impressive intelligence – chickens have even been found to outperform dogs and cats on many tests of advanced cognition – as well as complex emotional and social lives. During International Respect for Chickens Month and every day, these fascinating birds deserve our respect and compassion.

Joe Boo rooster protects his flock.

With so many alternatives to eggs these days, it’s easy to enjoy your favorite foods without causing harm to chickens like Jo Bennett, Ronni, and Chandler. Visit farmsanctuary.org to learn more and help make the world a kinder place for chickens and all farm animals!

The girls enjoy a compassionate meal — and you can too!

[charminglysirius]

Favorite female friendships-Meredith and Jo

[incorrect-charmed-quotes-blog]

[dozydawn]

Diva by Emanuel Ungaro, 1988.

Models: Jo Bennett, Berenice Drouet, and Lynne Koester.