Ten incredibly lucky chickens are celebrating their first month out of captivity at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary this week. These birds, with 10 others, fell off the back of a truck driving through the Kensington district of Philadelphia one Sunday early in November. They were former egg layers, who had reached their eighteenth month of life and were worn out, as far as egg farming was concerned. So, they were on their way to be turned into pet food, since birds of this kind are not normally considered fit for human consumption.

But instead of slaughter that Sunday, they were left dumped on the street in an urban neighborhood, with cars speeding by and people staring as they scattered and sought shelter.

Cue Rian Feldman and Scooter Belasco, who operate Uncle Neil’s Farm Animal Sanctuary in nearby Bridgeton. They heard about these abandoned hens and raced to the rescue. (Uncle Neil, by the way, is a “tripod” pit bull rescue with a big personality.)

“We knew we could not let them just die out there,” said Feldman. “So we got the crates and the cart and drove in and started trapping them. They were hard to catch, it took a couple of hours because they were running around in the dark getting honked at by cars, definitely terrified. I found one in a backyard she had settled herself in a hollow at the base of a tree. Definitely not safe. Others were up in trees. We had to get them out and into the crates. It was hard work, but we got it done eventually.”

And so, all 20 hens were rounded up, along with a silkie rooster, who was in with them for some unknown reason. One hen had a broken leg, the rest were just typical egg layers at the end of their normal commercial lives, thin and tired.

Then the phones were twanging around on the regional “sanctuary network” as Feldman calls it. And so the rescued hens came to the notice of the folks at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary off Lucas Turnpike in High Falls.

Now, 10 of the hens have been taken in by Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, seven are going to Goosepond Mountain Rescue in Chester, and the Uncle Neil’s team are looking for homes for the remaining three hens and the rooster, now named “Snowy,” since he’s typically white, with the long feathers of his breed.

“Woodstock Farm Sanctuary was reached out to due to our experienced animal caregiving team and resources to provide the best care to give this hen with a broken femur, plus the other nine. In sanctuary, hens like these have a chance to live to be over 10 years old,” said a sanctuary representative.

Lizz Truitt who handles press and publicity for Woodstock Farm Sanctuary noted that they are running a competition to name their newest rescues. Donate $10 to the sanctuary and drop them a suggested name. Suggestions have a show biz bias so far, with entries like Barbara Strutsand and Reese Featherspoon heading the list.

“With farmed animal rescue work, it’s not hard to inspire people to care about a cow or a pig, a goat or a sheep, but it is hard to get people to care about chickens. But chickens are smart, quirky individuals who have big personalities, remember people’s faces, and love snacks just like any other sweet animal. We hope this flock’s story, and the opportunity to name a hen friend, connects more people to chickens. We really love them here at Woodstock Sanctuary.”

Folks can give a gift and suggest a name here.

The Woodstock Farm Sanctuary is closed for the winter, and will reopen fully in May 2022. However, their volunteer program is still active every week, and they rely on volunteers to help keep barns clean and operations flowing smoothly.

Truitt added, “We hope to do some pop-up tour days in the New Year, so keep an eye on our website and social media. Also, you can sign up for a shift via the website [woodstocksanctuary.org]. And sign up for our newsletter to know when the best times are to stop by and visit.”