A DANISH WOMAN, who has lived in England for 37 years, was brought up on a farm and missed the hens.

Her dream has come true for Bende Lind-Hansen has taken in two former battery hens at her Broadheath home - Betty and Henny.

“Betty has taken over as boss and look out. She fell out with the lawn mower trying to be louder than it.

“I’ve called the other one Henny because it’s a Danish girls’ name.”

Bende got the hens from Lucky Hens Rescue Community Interest Company in Ince, near Wigan.

Bende, from Pochard Drive, said: “Some of the neighbours’ kids have been round. They picked my hens up and stroked them.

“You should have seen the hens learning to dig. They found the first worm they had ever seen and didn’t know how to eat it!”

Bende paid £5 each towards costs when she collected them although the minimum charge is only £4.

“I was lucky because I was one of the first to collect. The volunteers gave me perky ones but there were others in the corner without feathers lying down on their bellies.”

Bende, aged 67, has prepared a hen run in the garden for her charges who, in the first three days laid three eggs.

“I am having my first egg for tea tonight,” said Bende.

Alison Thorp from Lucky Hens Rescue said: “Since 2010 we have rescued 12,500 hens. Without us, they would have ended up in pet food or chicken paste.”

* For more information see luckyhensrescuenorthwest.weebly.com or telephone 07888 730 763.