Stephen to the rescue of 150 battery hens

When Stephen Sankey's wife forced him to get rid of his noisy pet parrot Alfie, he took revenge by inviting dozens of chickens into the family home.

Refusing to become a hen-pecked husband, the 56-year-old vegetarian decided to begin re-homing ex-battery chickens from his semi-detached home in Well Lane, Bloxwich.

But what began as a few chickens in the back garden three years ago has spiralled into a brood of 150.

As well as rescuing battery chickens from cramped cages, he also takes in injured and abandoned birds, and operates a 24-hour hotline for the RSPCA and others to contact him when they need someone to take more in. And despite her initial shock Stephen's wife Ann, a fellow vegetarian, has even come round to the idea herself.

She said: "The parrot, an African Grey, was noisier because he was in the house screeching next to your ear, as long as the chickens are outside I don't mind and I would rather that than them be in cages on the battery farms."

A mechanic by trade, Mr Sankey is now better known to pals as Chicken Steve, and has even started driving around the country in his Suzuki van with son Jason, in his 30s, collecting battery chickens before taking them home to nurse back to health in sheds built in his back garden.

He said: "It all started after my wife made me get rid of my parrot because of its squawking. I gave the parrot to a friend, went and got some chickens instead and it has escalated from there. I now have about 150 chickens at the moment living in sheds in the back garden.

"I think Ann has got used to them now and I have got 11 grandchildren aged between two and 11 who all love them and help feed them, so it has turned into a family thing. If you look at the statistics I think there is about 40 per cent of people who now keep chickens as pets so there is no shortage of people who want them to look after properly."

He is now trying to attract grants to find The Chicken Sanctuary a permanent home with the land to look after more animals.

On Friday The Chicken Sanctuary was presented with a cheque for £3,000 by Pets at Home store on the Broadwalk Retail Park which will be used to help buy new accommodation, food and equipment.

Stephen's 24-hour hotline is 07742 913184.