Rehomed hens bring joy after rare birds theft

The hens have been adapting well to their new home

A city farm has welcomed new hens to its flock after the theft of eight rare chickens last summer.

The team at Ouseburn Farm, in Newcastle, were left "incredibly sad" after the birds were stolen from the charity last August.

But manager Katie Bates Bates said it had been a "really happy time" at the farm recently after five ex-commercial hens were rehomed.

"The eight hens that were stolen definitely left a huge gap," Ms Bates said.

"We've been wanting to rehome some hens for a while.

"It's been amazing, we're definitely building back up the numbers."

The rehomed hens are about 18 months old

The birds had feathers missing from back of their bodies and were initially kept separate from the rest of the flock to adapt.

They are 18 months old, which is the age when they are no longer considered commercially profitable, the farm said.

The new arrivals bring the total number of chickens at the farm to about 20.

Ms Bates added: "We support adults with learning disabilities and autism and they work with animals over the week.

"They've been overjoyed to see new chickens come, especially ones that we've been able to give new life to.

"It's been a really happy time."

The eight stolen chickens, which all belonged to rare breeds, were worth about £400.

One of the birds was later found at Walker Park memorial garden, almost two miles (3km) away from the farm.