Save a Hen

Surprise, surprise: you buy a chicken ranch and find out that the owner decided to throw in the hens for free. All 160,000 of them.

Most of them are headed for slaughter--such is the life of a hen after she's given her most productive 1-2 years to the cause--but 700 lucky birds are headed for animal shelters in northern California, where they hope to be adopted into much more favorable living conditions.

The hens will continue to lay eggs for a few more years, just not at the rate of one a day that a chicken farm demands. They will, however, continue to supply ambiance, little clucking noises, pest control services, and manure to the garden for the rest of their lives.

SOUTH BAY / Hundreds of hens spared slaughter / Rescuers team to save birds past egg-laying prime