As Blisworth resident Jane Percival prepared for the arrival of a number of rescued battery hens, she realised they had fewer feathers than their free-range counterparts.

And, after last week's freezing temperatures, she decided they would need an eggstra something to keep them warm.

Armed with a pattern for chicken jumpers, Jane went to a coffee house in the village where a number of WI members heard her discussing the plan and offered to pick up knitting needles to help keep the chickens warm.

She said: "I came up with the idea last week because of the temperature at night. Some WI ladies heard and started knitting the jumpers.

"The chickens really took to them. They were quite mesmerised by them, and we had three eggs on Sunday so they're obviously quite comfortable. It's no trouble putting a jumper on a chicken – it takes two people and the pattern comes with instructions."

Jumpers were knitted for all 30 of the chickens destined for Blisworth, with 14 of them remaining with Mrs Percival at the village's allotments and 16 given homes elsewhere.

At the moment the jumpers are nightwear for the feathered fashionistas, with the birds going for the au naturel look during the day. The hens will now enjoy a free range existence until the natural end of their lives.

Each jacket – known as a chux tux – took about eight hours to knit and all 30 were completed in six days.

WI member Maggie Turton said: "We thought it was a wonderful challenge and it would help the chickens, bring the community together and raise the profile of the WI.

"We had so much fun putting them on the chickens. When we saw them for the first time we couldn't stop laughing."