A rescue of 6,000 hens organized near Vitré by the association Les Caquetteuses

The association Les Caquetteuses offers a second life to all laying hens sent to the slaughterhouse at the age of 18 months.

Indeed, at this age, the hens are reformed. “Farmers cannot keep hens longer than 72 weeks. The law obliges them to crawl space for reasons of hygiene, ”explains Manon Dugas, founder of Les Caquetteuses with her spouse, Brice Lahy.

"These hens are not intended for consumption"

However, a hen can still live for several years and continue to lay eggs. This is the whole objective of the association Les Caquetteuses, born in Sérent in Morbihan in December 2020 and which has already saved more than 25,000 hens throughout the Great West.

“It is either the breeders who contact us or we are informed of a crawl space and we call them. The objective is therefore to offer these hens who are very young and who can live up to around 6 years old for adoption. Otherwise, they end up in the slaughterhouse.

Saturday June 19, the association is organizing the rescue of 6,000 hens from a farm in Montreuil-sous-Pérouse. “The breeder called us. These are organic free-range hens,” says Manon Dugas.

Must be in pairs

The hens will be sold for €3 per hen, €15 for six. “Because of the bird flu, the hens were confined for several weeks. They can therefore be plucked. They can only come out for a month, so they are slowly starting to plump up. In one month at home, they will regain all of their plumage. So don't worry," warns Manon Dugas, who specifies: "Under no circumstances are these hens intended for consumption. We reserve the right to refuse an adoption. »

The association obliges adopters to buy at least two hens because they cannot live alone and do not fit into an already formed group. It is then necessary to have a dry place sheltered from the wind, humidity, well mulched, very clean and have a space of grass.

"Waste reduction of 150 kilos per year"

The money from the rescues goes to the breeders who, in turn, donate to the association. “We have a shelter project to accommodate animals that have been mistreated or used in laboratories. We also want to create educational chicken coops in schools. »

The association also participates in actions with the Smictom in their sector to encourage waste reduction. "A hen alone allows you to reduce your organic waste by around 150 kg per year", concludes Manon Dugas.

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