THE CHICKEN whisperer is the nickname given to a care home resident due to her uncanny ability to calm a sudden intake of feathered friends.
Irene Fleming lives at Mandale House Care Home, in Thornaby, which has recently welcomed three new chickens as permanent residents.
Upon arrival, the 93-year-old built an immediate rapport with the birds having had years of experience looking after hens from her time in the Women’s Land Army during the Second World War.
After chatting to the hens, and calming them when they got flustered, Irene found herself quickly dubbed 'the chicken whisperer'.
She said: “I love having hens here at Mandale. They’re such good girls. They remind me of my flock when I was a land girl.”
Irene joined the Women’s Land Army shortly after the outbreak of the War and was based at Shincliff Hall, near Durham.
She said: “I did all of the usual farm duties, like planting, harvesting and mucking out, but my favourite thing was to work with the hens.
“The hens thought I was their mum as they would come when I called them. I would sing to them while I worked and they liked the sound of my voice.
“I named one Veronica after my friend. At first Veronica wasn’t very happy at sharing her name with a chicken but after a while she came round.
“The other Land Army girls said I was barmy because I loved the chickens so much.”
Irene has been able to rekindle her passion for hen-keeping with the latest arrivals at Mandale House Care Home - who have been named Dolly, Penny and Nancy.
The arrival of the hens is part of the HenPower project, run by charity Equal Arts.
The HenPower project, officially launched at the home by Thornaby Mayor Councillor Steve Walmsley and Mayoress Councillor Sylvia Walmsley, aims to improve wellbeing and reduce loneliness among the elderly with weekly creative sessions run by Equal Arts.
Louise Clements, home manager at Mandale House Care Home, said: “The hens have settled in really well and are already a hit with our residents, especially our very own chicken whisperer Irene Fleming.
“Everyone is thoroughly enjoying the weekly creative sessions and we look forward to working with Equal Arts going forward.”
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