Circe

In Greek mythology, Circe was a goddess of magic. She was known to turn her enemies, or those who offended her, into animals. Circe was angry and a little bit crazy, but was incredibly strong and powerful. Circe the hen is equally as angry and crazy, but for very different reasons. I can imagine Circe wishing she had the power to change those farm workers into hens and force them to live in cages as they walked up and down her cage aisle.

She is the hen right at the front in this image below. She stood up to me in that cage whilst I was taking these photos and looked me right in the eye as if to say “Don’t you dare touch me”, but behind that challenge was a glint of “Please help me”…..and so we did.

As soon as Circe first got to experience a straw bed, she was hooked. She loves her straw bed so much and still spends a far bit of her day in it.. She is becoming less angry as time goes on, but she needs more time to get a grasp on her new life. Circe pretends to be so tough, but deep down, she is so scared of the big, wide world and everything that’s in it.

I am hoping that with time her anger turns to confidence and her fear turns to power and that the whole world becomes magical for her.

______________________________________________________________________________________________
Circe sadly left this world in May, 2016. This is the tribute I wrote for her:
Circe.
The first time I saw her she was skinny and pale, but she stood up the front of that cage like she was saying “ok, take me on”. The last time I saw her she was in her little straw bed, tucked up inside, barely conscious and leaving the world. I told her she could go, but gosh she hung on. I tried all my tricks to let her live longer, because she loved living so very much, but it was her time and she died whilst asleep. I found her gone with her head tucked in under her wing.
Circe was so brave. Such a brave little hen. She put on such a tough show, always running around with her tiny chest puffed out telling all the other chickens what to do. Under all that bravado was a sweet, shy little chicken.
Those first few weeks out of the cage, she refused to come out of her straw bed. She was so scared of the world, but my gosh, how she loved that straw bed. She’d sit there all day picking up pieces of straw and burying herself as deep as possible in her beloved straw. Her little eyes were always so wide with joy and she’d chirp in glee as she saw another piece of straw to add to her bed. I’m so glad I had the chance to let her die in a straw bed like she loved so much instead of her dying in that cage or dying at the abattoir.
Chickens break my heart over and over again and sometimes (no ALL the time), when I am digging those holes to bury them, I wonder how I am supposed to go through this again and again and why did I choose this……and then I turn around and see all my beautiful free girls just enjoying being chickens and fitting 1000 exciting chicken things in to just one day and I know I am doing the right thing. I’m doing the right thing.
It was a pleasure to know you my brave, tough Circe.

Please don’t use my images without permission. All images are Copyright Tamara Kenneally