THOUSANDS of chickens that were destined for the slaughterhouse have been rehomed across Cumbria and the UK.

Melanie James, of Silloth, contacted a farmer who was looking to sell 3,000 chickens as she wanted to rescue them from the slaughterhouse.

The farmer was looking to rehome 400 chickens but when she went to collect them he was forced to back-out of the transaction.

However, Melanie is passionate about rescuing animals as she runs Ani-Mel Haven Animal Sanctuary, at Beckfoot in Silloth on Solway.

She said: “It has been my life. I had my first rescue before I could walk, it was a little duckling.”

But the farmer relented, allowing Melanie to rehome all of the chickens provided she could raise the £2,400 price tag.

She said: “He gave us 48 hours to raise the amount to take all the remaining chickens.

“We raised it within 36 hours.”

Funds were donated from around the world to save the chickens.

Melanie continued: “People were saying ‘it is such a feel-good Christmas story’.

“The support was absolutely fantastic.”

All of the chickens have now found loving homes and Melanie is staying in touch with their new owners on her Hens in Homes Facebook Page.

She said: “We have got a Facebook page and a lot of the new owners have been posting videos. We keep in touch with them all the time.”

The campaign has taken-off with attention from national news outlets and requests from would-be owners still rolling in.

“There are no more hens available but people are still getting in touch,” said Melanie.

The Ani-Mel Haven centre is a registered charity that is open around the clock, having been set up by Melanie about four years ago.

It is currently looking to raise funds for a new sanctuary which would include therapeutic facilities. The new sanctuary would provide animal therapy to people with mental health issues.