Our recent rescue of 752 battery hens is now one month on and when watching these girls at dusk, I cannot help but be taken back to my nautical days of navigating the ‘treacherous’ waters of the children’s beach at Long Jetty in NSW.

Behind Humphrey’s sad sunken old eyes lies a gentle goat, perhaps even a friendly goat if given half the chance.

There was nothing special about Somerset County. It was a deeply ordinary place. No astonishing thing ever happened there.

As you could well imagine I have been keeping the company of chickens rather a lot lately. Bearing witness to the transformation from frightened and featherless battery hen to confident and freedom loving fowl has been truly uplifting, and much needed after the five dark days spent on their liberation.

Romeo knew his name and loved going for walks with me around the farm. He loved scratches under his chin and falling asleep with his head on my arm.

I never really knew Sarah, Henry’s previous owner, for I had only met her a couple of times but I do know she had a good heart and she was taken from this world way too early.

“To lock horns with someone” is an expression oft times used today. Its origins are found in the early 1800’s and refer to horned animals tussling with one another.