RSPCA chicken campaign features the #squashie
Howard Lake | 1 October 2014 | News
It is Farm Animal Week and the RSPCA are highlighting the fact that hundreds of millions of chickens farmed for meat live in less allocated space than an A4 piece of paper. As a result they don’t have sufficient space for natural behaviour such as nesting, playing or exhibiting their natural social behaviour.
Working with The Good Agency, the animal charity has launched a fundraising campaign using social media, and unveiled an installation in which groups of volunteers were inviting to “feel the squash”, replicating the living conditions of chickens. Up to 20 people tried to squash into a space just 2.1m by 1.5m.
From #selfie to #squashie
The RSPCA is inviting supporters to swap their #selfie photos for a #squashie, squashing as many people as they can get into one photo. They are then encouraged to nominate their friends and family to take a #squashie and make a text donation to the charity. By texting CLUCK to 70111 people can donate £3.
All the money raised will be used to support the RSPCA’s work with farm animals, with the campaign centred around a call to ‘unsquash’ millions of chickens – improving their lives through things like straw bales to peck, natural light and space to express natural behaviours.
The installation appeared in London’s Carnaby Street yesterday and will visit Cardiff (2 October) and Birmingham (4 October) during Farm Animal Week.
Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep kicked off the campaign, tweeting one of the first ‘#Squashies’.
Shaun's taken a #squashie in support of @RSPCA_official's Farm Animal Week! Find out more at: http://t.co/zoQQkHkRUN pic.twitter.com/bdYXuNk143
Advertisement
— Shaun the Sheep (@shaunthesheep) September 29, 2014
Do the #squashie
[youtube height=”450″ width=”800″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz7r8nwviGI[/youtube]
Matthew Cull, High Value Giving Manager of the RSPCA said:
“Raising standards of farm animal welfare is a lesser known, but very important part of the RSPCA’s work, not just for chickens, but for pigs, hens, cows and sheep. These animals have similar needs as our pets, including freedom from fear and distress and freedom to express their natural behaviour. This week’s initiative is about raising awareness of the cramped conditions in which millions of farm animals spend their lives”.
“There are more chickens in the UK than any other land based farm animal. We have focused on this species this year with activity which we hope will make people think about all the issues around farm animal welfare and encourage them to donate to help us in our ongoing work to improve the living conditions of millions of farm animals”.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.