Birds of a feather flocked to PETA's L.A. office this weekend for what was quite possibly the world's cluckiest adoption fair. Seventy-eight hens made themselves a comfortable roost in the Bob Barker Building while adopters listened to the hens' story and snacked on vegan egg-salad sandwiches.

The hens had been used by egg producer A&L Poultry until the company went out of business last February and simply left 50,000 hens to die in battery cages without any food or water. Two weeks after A&L shut its doors, Animal Place sanctuary and other animal advocates got wind of how A&L ran afoul of the fowl and rushed in to rescue the hens. Many had already died or were too ill to save, but rescuers were able to save nearly 4,500 hens and nurse them to health.

At the adoption event that PETA hosted, the blissful birds got a Hollywood ending when they were whisked away by SoCal families who will let the birds be birds and finally live the life that they deserve.

Ever since half a billion eggs were recalled because of a salmonella outbreak, people have been talking about food safety regulations. Animal welfare issues have been mentioned, but they need to be considered more seriously. The following are some facts to help you tell the hens' side of the story:

There's cruelty in every carton of eggs:
Ninety-nine percent of hens used by the egg industry are confined to filthy, crowded battery cages. In June, the owner of one of the egg farms involved in the recall—and of the company that supplies chickens and chicken feed to both farms implicated in the outbreak—pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals and paid more than $130,000 in fines and restitution following an undercover investigation by Mercy for Animals.

Salmonella spreads like wildfire on factory farms:
Under squalid factory farm conditions, it's easy for salmonella bacteria—which live in the intestines and feces of animals—to spread from bird to bird and from birds to people. Vegan foods don't naturally harbor salmonella bacteria.

Avoiding eggs is the best way to prevent salmonella poisoning and reduce animal suffering:
A salmonella vaccine that has been used successfully in Britain is available, but American regulators don't believe there's enough evidence to show that vaccinating hens will prevent people from getting sick. It's obvious that our food safety regulations are not all they're cracked up to be and that the safest and kindest way to prevent salmonella poisoning is to stop eating eggs altogether. PETA is urging Iowa schools to stop serving eggs to children in order to help protect them from food poisoning. You can opt for egg replacer, scrambled tofu, and other tasty vegan foods.

Written by Heather Moore

We received a call recently from a whistleblower who alerted us to a situation at Coach House Gifts, a Clovis, California–based business where 37 out of 40 frogs in a shipment died after being left in a shipping box so long that they succumbed to heat prostration.

Wondering what a store that specializes in greeting cards and silly bracelets is doing with frog shipments? Well, Coach House Gifts also sells frogs who are crammed into 4-inch plastic cubes. These "desk decorations" are similar to Brookstone's "Frog-O-Spheres."

The similarities between the two novelty gifts don't stop there, either. Both Coach House Gifts and Brookstone buy their frogs from a hellhole called Wild Creations. Our undercover investigation into Wild Creations documented rampant neglect and mishandling of these delicate animals and a total disregard for their needs, welfare, and lives. Our investigator witnessed frogs being thrown around and even tossed into the garbage while they were still alive.

Please ask Coach House Gifts President Craig J. Walker to pull these cruel novelties off the shelves immediately. And then demand that Brookstone do the same!

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

Animals suffered and died left and right at a shabby Florida roadside zoo, which is aptly called Vanishing Species Wildlife. The outfit routinely took animals on the road to fairs, schools, and summer camps even when they were sick, hungry, dying, and stressed. Good news: Federal authorities have revoked this zoo's license!

Schools and parents, take note: Paying animal exhibitors to hold presentations for your children supports cruelty to animals. Don't patronize any business that exploits animals for profit—please remove field trips to zoos and circuses from your school's curriculum.

Educators who would like free materials designed to teach students to be compassionate toward all living beings can click here.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

Yesterday was a momentous day for animals living on farms in Michigan, where Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill into law that phases out veal crates, battery cages, and gestation crates on farms across the state!

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Michigan farmers have been given three years to phase out veal crates and 10 years to get rid of gestation crates and battery cages. This means that farmers will no longer be allowed to immobilize calves in crates that are so small that the animals can barely take a step in any direction. Pregnant pigs will no longer be forced to live in their own excrement in a space too small to turn around in, and hens will get a chance to stretch their wings.

The news comes just a day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill making it illegal to dock cows' tails in California, where gestation crates, veal crates, and battery cages were banned last year. Now that Michigan has become the seventh state to ban gestation crates, the fifth to ban veal crates, and the second to ban battery cages, we're hoping that laws improving conditions for animals on factory farms will continue to take the nation by storm.

Of course, the best way to prevent animal suffering is to adopt a vegan diet, stat.

Written by Shawna Flavell

Thanks to James over at The Daily Veg for sending in these pics. For more information about what hens have to go through so that people can have eggs for breakfast, click here.