We have been focusing our rescue investigations on Michael Foods battery cage facilities in southeastern Minnesota which confine over a million hens each, with single sheds containing many tens of thousands. The purpose of our missions is to document suffering and neglect, and to remove from the facility as many needy hens as we can provide homes for. Please note that we adhere to strict nonviolence and biosecurity guidelines when performing our investigations.
Documentation involves videotaping, photographing, and note-taking.
Unfortunately, the most overwhelming aspects of a battery cage facility, such as size, sound, and smell, are impossible to convey through these means. While inside, we provide direct aid to needy birds who, although ailing, we will not be able to remove because of their sheer numbers. On a given investigation, rescuers might administer water to dehydrated hens, free a hen whose claws have become trapped in the wire, and remove dead bodies from a cage full of living hens. We rescue hens who are in dire situations and need immediate veterinary attention. These birds often have life-threatening injuries or afflictions that prevent them from reaching food.