Irene the Hen Grows New Feathers
By Tricia Cockshott
Irene is one of the ex-battery hens that I rescued. She came to me with no feathers, looking like what could be described an oven ready chicken! I got Irene at the same time as 3 other ex-bats and the other three hens all grew back their feathers over 6 months but Irene didn’t.
After doing the Tapping for Animal’s workshop I decided to give it a go and see if it would make a difference to Irene. I decided to tap as if I was talking to Irene. I felt that the intensity value was at least a 9/10 as she really did look quite pitiful and sad!
I started the tapping on myself with Irene present, tapping on the karate chop point I used the set up phrase
“Even though you are only small Irene and look so sad because you have no feathers and my other hens have all grown their feathers back, I love you anyway” I then tapped around the points with “only small”, “no feathers” “so sad”. After going round once I felt that the intensity level had dropped but only to a 7/10.
I then asked Irene who by the way was taking great interest in what I was doing and listening intently to every word, when was the first time she had felt this way? I then tapped on when she was a chick and was thrown into a small cage with other chicks, how she felt so small and it was so scary. This set up changed on the third time round to being no room, being pecked all the time and feathers pulled out. After tapping the third round the intensity level had reduced to a 4/10.
I then asked Irene if there was anything that she felt back in the cage that she still feels now? She said “what’s the point in growing my feathers back if they will be pulled out again”
I tapped a round on these words feathers pulled out, they may grow back, pulled out again, these feathers, they pulled them out, they could grow back. Etc. Intensity value was now a 2/10. Tapped again.
I tapped on “even though I don’t see the point in growing my feathers back, cause I feel they will only be pulled out again, by the other girls, I am willing to try and I choose to let my body heal itself” I am ready to try anything and maybe I will be pleasantly surprised. After tapping a round of I am willing to try and I choose to let my body heal itself. The intensity level had gone down to a 1/10.
Irene Watched and Listened
All the time I was tapping with Irene, she just stood and watched and listened, I had never seen any of the hens do this before, they usually just went about their business scratching for food but she really watched me. Within two weeks Irene’s feathers had started to sprout and by 2 months later she was the most beautiful of my hens with a thick and glossy set of feathers any hen could be proud of, plus she put weight on too. Here is how she looks now.
I realised at the end of the session for Irene that I had started of tapping as if talking to Irene but by the end I was tapping as Irene, I had become her and felt her pain and fear, I am sure this brought us even closer but that is my opinion. The only thing I would have done differently is to have tapped for her sooner, something that I do for all my girls if I feel they need it.
Gwyneth says: Well done Tricia and Irene, yes we start of with ‘Talk About’ or ‘Talk To’ and then if the door is open we can find ourselves in ‘Talk As’ without knowing it. Never force the door. If you try to ‘Talk As’ and it feels forced or unreal then go back to ‘Talk To’ or ‘Talk About’
