Battery hens get woolly jumpers

A woman from Oxfordshire has started knitting sweaters for rescued battery hens that have lost their feathers.

Jane Blaine, of Eynsham, said when a friend first asked her to knit jumpers for chickens she thought it was a joke.

Ms Blaine, who has previously made coats for dogs, said: "When I saw these poor battery hens without any feathers, I thought I'd give it a try."

The jumpers are made from eyelash wool and were specially designed after the chickens' measurements were taken.

Ms Blaine said measuring the chickens was problematic.

"Obviously they have quite small necks and big bodies," she said.

"And I had to make room for the wings. It was a bit like knitting a funnel."