Housing

Chookie Village for Who Gives a Cluck

The Bede Carmody Animal Sanctuary Fund is enabling Who Gives A Cluck to rebuild - and meaningfully upgrade - its storm-damaged Chookie Village and Hen Hospital in Mullumbimby.

hen housingimproved staff conditions
Chookie Village for Who Gives a Cluck

After the storms of early 2025, the Chookie Village and adjoining Hen Hospital in Mullumbimby were severely damaged - fencing was ruined, the grounds flooded, and facilities were compromised. Support from the Bede Carmody Animal Sanctuary Fund has enabled Who Gives A Cluck (WGAC) not only to restore the site but also to upgrade it so it functions as a safe, durable, and more effective facility.

Battery hens saved by WGAC.
Battery hens saved by WGAC.

As a result of the works to date:

  • Nearly 100 hens (across Chookie Village and the Hen Hospital) can now live in safer, healthier, more secure areas.
  • Volunteers have a powered preparation area (suitable for a fridge, hot water, and more), improving animal care and hygiene.
  • The team can now secure an area for trials of healthy alternative food sources for hens.

Drainage before and after
Drainage before and after

Fencing before and after
Fencing before and after

About WGAC

WGAC is a dedicated volunteer-run organisation that:

  • Has rescued, health-checked, and rehomed nearly 10,000 former battery hens.
  • Provides ongoing treatment and veterinary care for hens not fit for adoption at two Hen Hospitals (Mullumbimby, NSW and Brisbane, QLD).
  • Educates backyard hen owners on health checks, worming, illness prevention, and general care.
  • Rescues and rehomes dumped roosters, working council-by-council to establish a No Rooster Dumping program.
  • Advocates for improved welfare for commercial egg-laying hens and newly hatched males.

WGAC also conducts rescue operations by entering battery farms to remove hens before routine culling at around 18 months of age.