2020 doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. A heart-melting story of boy and hen. If you need a little pick me up, discover the boy who wrote a card to his hen; Agnes. Find out more about this wonderful friendship and their hen friends here.
Here at the BHWT, we love to welcome new members and to share their stories with us.
In Manchester, you will find a young boy named Anthony. He and his mum are first-time keepers and have a wonderful time looking after their three hens that they rescued from slaughter last December at our Enfield rehoming location. But one hen, in particular, has a special place in Anthony’s heart. Her name is Agnes.
Once the first lockdown restrictions were relaxed and Anthony was allowed back to school, he was tasked with writing a letter to someone in his family who made him happy during the first lockdown. Anthony took it one step further and created a beautiful card addressed to Agnes. It was this card that caught our eye and we had to get the story!
The card reads “Even though I’m 99% sure you’ll just eat this letter, I am writing to tell you how amazing you are…” You can’t get much more adorable than that!
When speaking with Anthony’s mum, Julie, she told us that having the three hens was a real treasure during the lockdown. They kept the family spirits high as well as provided them with a focus to get them through, they were a welcome distraction. Not to mention the fresh eggs every day which was something you couldn’t get at the supermarket at the time! Banana bread anyone?
We asked about how they came to call the special hen Agnes, as it’s not your everyday name. What warmed my heart was that they had named the hens after the three young girls in the film ‘Despicable Me’, saying that the three hens had a similarity to the girls’ personalities. First, there was Margo who they originally thought would be at the top of the pecking order, however, it turns out she’s now at the bottom! Then there was Edith or ‘Angry Edith’ as they call her who is the naughtiest, loudest and cheekiest of the three. Not to mention she is also the angriest. And then there is Agnes, who is the smallest and cutest of the three, just like in the film.
Of course, the star of the show is Agnes, which is why we wanted to know all about her quirky self and how she came to get a card just for her. Agnes is said to be the most helpful of the hens, getting involved with the gardening with mum as well as showing her affection by jumping onto both mum and Anthony. She was especially funny during the lockdown as the two reminisce, saying
“The time she made us laugh the most in Lockdown was when she grabbed a plastic toy beetle out of the paddling pool in the summer and ran off down the garden with it squawking like a crazy hen and pecking anyone or any hen who tried to take it off her!”
Learning about Agnes and their hens has been really heart-warming and we love to hear stories about the hens that we rehome! One thing we had to find out was whether Agnes got to see the card herself and the answer will make you cry with laughter! It was lovely to find out that the card was read to Agnes and Anthony showed it to her. Luckily Agnes didn’t eat it, however, Angry Edith took an interest in it and she tried to eat it! Can you believe it!
If you need help preparing for adopting some of our hens, we have lots of information on our website from hen keeping starter guides to how to get involved with the BHWT and what you can do to support us.
