A woman has developed a new way to keep to keep battery chickens warm - by knitting them woolly JUMPERS. 

Animal lovers Nicola Congdon, 25, and her mother Ann, 58, have been rehoming the birds for some years but found they got cold when they lived outdoors.

They often had few feathers, as they would pull them out in frustration, and could not cope with the chilly countryside weather.

Nicola decided to knit woolly jumpers for her chickens and is now getting requests from around the world to buy her products which she makes in her kitchen in Falmouth, Cornwall.

She says that instead of charging for them she accepts donations for an aids orphanage in South Africa, where the money goes straight to the orphans.

Nicola said: "We've been knitting chicken jumpers for the last six months.

"We are doing it for the ex-battery hens for when they come out of their poor conditions for them to put on in the cold weather.

"I've also thought about doing it for my own chickens, and the chickens absolutely love them.

"I don't leave them on for more than half an hour if I'm not up there, If I'm up there I'll leave them on for an hour or two hours depending on how long I'm up there.

"There's not a problem with them actually putting the jumpers on, they just stand there and they do everything they should be doing - as a chicken would.

"There are no problems with how the chickens behave.

"We've also had enquiries so far from Canada as well as local people asking for the jumpers.

"If anyone would like to purchase one we ask for a donation for an aids orphanage in South Africa where the money goes straight to the kids in Africa."