40 chickens were freed by activists from Maqi - For Animal Rights, Against Speciesism from a battery farm on the night of June 2, 2004 and from a rearing station on the night of June 6, 2004. At the battery farm the Maqi activists rescued a hen from the corridor between the rows of cages, who had probably escaped from her cage during the removal of a corpse. Cut off from water and food she soon would have died of thirst. Three further hens were freed from their cages during the investigation. In the rearing station 36 baby chickens were freed, "we were able to free and save them from exploitation in egg production and subsequent murder," says Tanja Mueller from Maqi. The rescued hens were taken to be people who will care for them where they will be allowed to live as free as possible and not exploited for eggs. In all forms of imprisonment, whether battery, free range or "organic" the hens live about one year in which they lay up to three hundred eggs. Then their "laying performance" drops. The hens are then killed (chickens live up to ten years in natural conditions) and their corpses are traded as "chicken soup" or carved up in dog or cat food. The male chicks of the laying hens are killed immediately after hatching because they are "useless" for egg production. "Whoever consumes eggs (whole or manufactured in cookies, noodles etc) is responsible for the suffering of the hens - and their murder," says Tanja Mueller. Therefore, in addition to rescue work Maqi does educational work to inform people about animal rights and the necessity of a vegan life. Click on any photo for larger version
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