From factory farm to freedom

This is Autumn. She was recently rescued from a factory farm and is only now experiencing life's simple joys for the very first time.

Autumn is quiet, but when she chirps, she sounds like a baby. She never knew her mother, but constantly seeks comfort and protection from those around her.

Until recently, the only life she knew was inside the walls of a factory farm. She never saw the sun. She had no room to move, and lay in faeces covered litter every hour of every day.

Autumn was valued only for how much meat she could produce. Her body was bred to grow many times faster than nature intended. At just 30 days old, she already carries the weight of an adult, and struggles to walk.

Chickens like Autumn are not designed to live past six weeks. Soon Autumn is likely to succumb to lameness or heart failure. But in her last weeks or months, she is discovering what brings joy and meaning to her life. Her eyes close in delight whenever the sun hits her face. She has developed a profound love for watermelon. Yesterday, she learned to dust bathe...

She enjoys time with her feathered companions. In fact, she becomes distressed if she and her best friend Summer lose sight of one other.

Last week the chickens Autumn grew up with were packed into crates and trucked to slaughter. This week they will be on supermarket shelves.

Autumn lives on, and if you share this, so will her story.

She is someone, not something.

Thanks to Tamara Kenneally Photography for providing Autumn's photo and providing sanctuary for her to live out her life in peace. And thanks to you, for caring. Every meal is a choice. Animals like Autumn are depending on us to make compassionate ones.

UPDATE: Sadly, Autumn passed away in late July. Rescued and given a loving home, her last weeks of life were filled with simple joys that most chickens are never given the chance to discover. Brought into this world only two months ago, trapped in a body that was designed not to sustain life, but to grow unnaturally fast. She was just one of millions who grow up in factory farms across Australia. Farewell Autumn.

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