Activists from the campaign group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) stormed the farm yesterday morning

Surrounded by rotting carcasses and forced to live on row upon row of shelves, these pictures show what life is like for chickens on a so-called free range farm.

They were released by campaign group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) who said they ‘liberated’ 50 chickens during a sit-in by 150 activists.

Their protest resulted in Hoads Farm, East Sussex, being suspended by the RSPCA and British Egg Industry from welfare schemes while an investigation is carried out.

The chickens’ owners, who sell to major UK supermarkets, say they have done nothing wrong and said the ‘trespassers’ had caused significant distress during their nine-hour protest.

Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco have all confirmed they will stop selling Hoads Farm eggs pending the results of an investigation.

DxE had monitored the farm for six months before the raid and say they have evidence of hens with clipped beaks and bloodied skin.

This chicken looked in a terrible state (Picture: Direct Action Everywhere)

A dead chicken was tangled in the metal wire at the farm (Picture: Direct Action Everywhere)

They alleged that piles of dead birds were left to rot among the living hens and machinery was swimming with egg liquid.

Footage shows the chickens living in multi-storey metal tiers, with access to the outside provided by hatches.

However, the activists claim the majority of the chickens were so far from the hatches they had likely never seen sunlight.

Speaking from inside the farm, an activist told Metro.co.uk: ‘We trying to liberate about 100 chickens. We’ve found some injured and sick ones we’re trying to negotiate to save.’

She said the group of activists believe in total animal liberation, adding: ‘Even at a high welfare farm I don’t believe what they go through is worth it and we shouldn’t have the power to just use animals like want to.’

She claimed: ‘The definition of free range is how many square metres per chicken. It doesn’t really matter what it looks like, they try and fit as much structure to fit the space.

‘The chickens do have access to the outside but I’ve only ever seen a couple hundred actually leave, because it’s so awkward to get out, there’s so many in the way.’

The activists said they ‘liberated’ 50 chickens from the farm

Birds were seen with red and exposed skin (Picture: Direct Action Everywhere)

Dead birds on the floor among the living hens (Picture: Direct Action Everywhere)

A spokesman for DxE said their action might be viewed as radical, but it ‘must match the severity of what takes place behind those walls’.

‘The dead will have died in pain, with many obviously trapped in the racks dying from starvation,’ she claimed.

‘One night we found a hen huddled in the corner, motionless and shaking. She had blood all over her head, suggesting she had been violently thumped or stamped on.

‘She was in clear pain and shock and hadn’t received any veterinary attention.’

Sainsbury’s and Tesco have both confirmed they will stop selling eggs from the farm pending the results of an investigation.

Hoads Farm is owned by James Potters Yorkshire Farmhouse Eggs, and its website boasts about ‘animal welfare, high quality standards and sustainability’.

In a statement, Hoads Farm said: ‘A group of around 150 people are trespassing in a privately owned free range hen house on Hoads Farm in East Sussex and are demanding the release of 75 hens into their care in return for agreeing to leave the property.

‘While it may be unintentional, the continued presence of such a large group is causing significant distress to the hens as well as potentially compromising the biosecurity measures in place, and we are seeking a quick, peaceful resolution.

This chicken has a bloodied cloacae, from which its eggs are laid (Picture: Direct Action Everywhere)

Buckets of rotting eggs pictured at the farm (Picture: Direct Action Everywhere)

Chicken living in metal tiers at the ‘free range’ farm (Picture: Direct Action Everywhere)

‘The police are in attendance to assist with the removal of the trespassers.

‘All free range egg production is governed by EU legislation ensuring that the legal standards for free range production are met.

‘Standards governing flocks producing Hoads Farm free range eggs are even higher, matching those of the RSPCA Assured standard and BEIC Lion standard.’

A spokesman said it had invited the RSPCA to visit and to confirm ‘all necessary’ free range standards were being met, and a vet had been on site on Monday afternoon and ‘identified no issues’.

He added the footage was ‘in no way reflective of our farms and/or the welfare of our hens’ and that ‘all sites are routinely visited by independent bodies both announced and unannounced to ensure standards are maintained’.

A dead chicken is pictured on top of a pile of eggs (Picture: Direct Action Everywhere)

Processing machinery was seen swimming in egg fluid (Picture: Direct Action Everywhere)

Activists surrounded by chickens yesterday morning

An RSPCA spokesman said: ‘We are shocked and appalled by this footage and we understand why people are upset.

‘Any allegations of poor welfare issues on RSPCA Assured certified farms are taken extremely seriously, which is why we have suspended the farm whilst we urgently investigate.’

A British Egg Industry spokesperson added: ‘British Egg Industry Council can confirm that it has been made aware of footage released by an animal rights activist group today in relation to the welfare of hens at the Hoads Farm laying farm in Sussex.

‘The farm has been suspended from the Lion scheme pending further investigations.’

Sussex Police said they attended the protest at the farm just after 8am yesterday morning.

Superintendent Howard Hodges said: ‘Whilst we respect the right of individuals to protest however we have to balance this with the rights of the workers and the farm to go about its normal business.

‘We are working with farm and protesters to bring this to a peaceful resolution.’

An egg is left in the rotting chicken carcass

A bag of dead chickens is pictured at the farm