A thirsty chicken discovered drinking out of a toilet in a casino has hit the jackpot after finding a new home with the RSPCA’s hen welfare expert.
Mia Fernyhough from the RSPCA’s farm animal science team was all of a flutter when she heard about the hen who was rescued from a 24-hour gaming shop, Cashinos, in Morden, Surrey last month.
The hen was originally named Armitage after the toilet she was found in but Mia has since changed her name to Loo-Loo.
She said: “My hens Matilda and Rachael were a bit unsure of Loo-Loo at first as she’s quite different to them, both in appearance and - at first - in behaviour too. Loo-Loo didn’t seem to recognise chicken food or the trough it’s fed to them in so I think she may have been fed kitchen scraps.
“She watches my other hens and copies them so she is quickly getting the hang of things.”
Loo-Loo is thought to be an Aseel hen which originates from India and Pakistan and is known to be a particularly intelligent breed.
Mia, who is responsible for the development of the RSPCA welfare standards for laying hens and turkeys, added: “She wasn’t in very good condition when she arrived. She’s missing quite a few feathers but she’s on the mend and settling in well.
“It’s an absolute mystery how she ended up where she did. We’ll never know what happened to her.”
Stunned staff called the RSPCA when they discovered the dehydrated bird drinking out of a toilet in their shop. It is not known whether Loo-Loo was lost or abandoned but she was in a very poorly state and too exhausted to fly out of the toilet.
Alongside the thousands of pets and wild animals the RSPCA rescues every year they also help hundreds of farm animals.
Most are in the RSPCA's care because they have been rescued by inspectors investigating complaints of cruelty and neglect or because they have been abandoned.
