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More Than 1,000 Hens Rescued From Gas Chamber Arrive At Upstate Farm

ELMIRA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- More than 1,000 hens rescued from a California farm have arrived in upstate New York aboard a private plane.

With their egg-laying days over, the hens were going to be gassed and used for meat until the Animal Place sanctuary stepped in. An anonymous donor paid $50,000 to save them.

The northern California sanctuary took in 3,000 hens and sent about 1,200 on a cross-country flight. They landed at the airport outside the city of Elmira, near the Pennsylvania border, shortly before 6:30 a.m. Thursday.

Some of the rescued hens will live out their days on the farm in Elmira, and others will be put up for adoption.

"These hens have been through so much," said Jamie London, animal care director for Animal Place. "And like dogs saved from puppy mills, these hens have been liberated from a life of misery and will enjoy the rest of their lives in peace."

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