How to dress a chicken...

For our Christmas card this year, I was racking my brain trying to come up with a creative spin on things...

I've been seeing funny pictures on Pinterest of chickens wearing sweaters and capes.

After doing a little investigating on line, I discovered that there are actually places in Europe that rescue hens that have been raised in cruel conditions in confined cages for egg purposes only.

One of the rescues that I read about, Little Hen Rescue, takes hens that are to be slaughtered and tries to find homes for them.  

Because they have been in a stressful living enviornment, they sometimes molt.  This presents a problem if it's in the winter, so volunteers are enlisted to knit "sweaters" for these gals.  It was interesting to find out that there was a real purpose for wearing them and not just for silly sake...

 Bonnie Bailey, a good friend of ours, agreed to knit a few sweaters for our cause....

(After this photo shoot, these sweaters will be donated to Little Hen Rescue...)

We were lucky to have our dear friends Mary and Nicole to come over to take pictures..

Dressing these ladies was not an easy task...There was much in the way of pooping and fidgeting to be had!  (From the hens, not Mary and Nicole!) 

The caps are for our entertainment only!

Cricket donning her cape...

Georgie looking defeated...

Nellie looking slightly bewildered (or is it humiliated?) in orange...

Little Cocoa in a mini version of a cape...

Rosie looking, well....Rosie!

This picture pretty much sums up the feeling that all of the chickens had about this fashion shoot...

...but it was worth it because we ended up with a great card!