Rescue Your Chickens



  1. Animal Place spearheads the rescue of 3,000 hens from a caged “egg-laying” hen farm. Flies 1,150 out to east coast sanctuaries for the first ever flight of adult birds. From cages to homes and sanctuaries, Animal Place secured the release of 3,000 hens from a California “egg laying” hen farm. For two years, these hens have lived in cages.
  2. Today I have put together my favorite 21 tips for keeping your chickens safe from predators and healthy. Protecting your flock from predators starts with the coop. Whether you buy it pre-made or build the coop yourself, there are several simple things you can do to make it safer for your chickens.

Steam Workshop: Greenlight. This game is a story of a father who is left alone to take care of his chickens. You must avoid all sort of forest creatures and to save all 10 chickens. Another thing I learned about chicken rescue is that even when you want to verbally release your anger at the person responsible for allowing them to suffer, the best thing to do is bite your tongue, be thankful you can get them out of there, stay calm and get them home and truly rescued, doctored and into a healthy environment. Play 30 levels in which you will have to fight against rats, ants, spiders, bees, etc to rescue your chickens and to solve the mystery of the animals attacks! Controls: Arrow keys: Move. Esc Pause Controls: Arrow keys: Move.

Rescue Your Chickens
ADOPTION - HENS & CHICKS

lIf you would like to adopt and animal, but can't find the one you are looking for, please enquire via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Not all of the creatures under our umbrella are advertised.


Orpie and his girls need a safe rural home

When thin Orpie (and two other hens) came into our care, her foot was so sore she couldn't put it on the ground. An appointment with wonderful avian specialist Berend at Carevets Glen Eden confirmed that no bones were broken - so plenty of bed rest and pain relief followed.

During her recovery, beautiful Orpie has reached maturity, but instead of laying eggs 'she' produced a magnificent crow. This was not good news at our urban shelter. In respect for our neighbours, Orpie's indoor enclosure is wrapped in blackout curtains from dusk until mid-morning.

Orpie adores his girlfriends and, regardless of his healing leg, he rushes to flirt with them when we put him outside after a night of separation.

This lovely trio is looking for a safe, breed-free home in the countryside where Orpie can complete his recovery and where they can safely live out the full length of their natural lifespans. It must be a place where Orpie can be the only rooster in the henhouse and can show off his lovely crow without restriction. They are temporarily living in suburban Auckland.

Inquiries to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sesame and Pumpkin need a predator-free haven

Tiny orphan chicks from different suburbs were handed in to a bird rescue centre, two weeks apart. Concerned that they might turn out to be roosters, the centre took first one, then the other to a vet clinic - to be put down.

Fortunately the vet staff settled the first chick in an incubator and cared for it until it was eating and drinking well. When the second chick arrived, it was introduced to the first and they are now robust friends.

The veterinarian tried to find a safe haven for them before contacting us for help and we are now fostering them at our home-based shelter on the North Shore of Auckland.

These friendly, cheeping bundles of cuteness are about 8-weeks-old and need a predator proof home... where it won't matter whether they are hens or roosters.

If your property is zoned rural and you would love to adopt these two as cherished pets for life, please apply to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

FRIENDLY YOUNG COCKERELS NEED AN ATTENTIVE HOME

When we rescued Silken and her seven bedraggled babies from an out-of-control breeding flock, they were all starving…and two of the chicks were dying. We gathered them up and kept them warm and comfortable inside until they were strong enough to be monitored in our grounds.

Happily, they have all survived and are now a picture of health. Silken and her daughters most likely have a lovely home awaiting them. However, the little cockerels in her clutch have nowhere to go once they find their crows. Roosters are the most difficult of all creatures to find caring homes for and our rooster sanctuaries are full - so we are hopeful these little ones will touch your heart.

Do you have space on your rural property for any of these male chicks? Do you have neighbours who don’t mind the sound of crowing? They will need protection from predators such as hawks, roaming dogs and human hunters. They will also need to have a source of fresh drinking water and natural or manmade shelter. If they are free roaming, it will be lovely if they can have food given to them each day in addition to their foraging.

Hens love to have a rooster in their company to offer a sense of protection and leadership. If you have a plan to stop chicks hatching out (with more unwanted roosters), perhaps one of these developing youngsters could be their man.

Please apply to adopt one or more of Silken’s friendly sons. We have become very attached to them and it will be comforting to know that they will be equally loved as their sister and mother.

NOTE: When a clutch is hatched, you can be sure that half of the chicks will be innocent males. Please don’t add to the suffering of roosters by allowing your flock to breed. Collect any eggs diligently and count your hens each night as they retire to their shelter. To watch our rooster documentary, please click here.

CARLA & EARTHA SEEK A COMFORTABLE LIFE

When Carla, one of our volunteers, became aware of two hens living at a waterlogged earth moving construction site, she knew they would be at further risk when the major building development began.

So in the pouring rain this morning, I set out to rescue them…and due to their hunger, soon had them safely enclosed in the car. They were cold, wet, hungry, muddy and shivering. In this cold winter weather, the hens’ legs and underbellies have regularly been fully immersed in muddy water.

When the workmen arrived I learned that they had been feeding these mud-caked girls for almost two months and that one had been extremely thin when they first noticed her. The men named them ‘Chickies’ and developed an affection for the birds. They routinely shared their lunches with them which likely kept them from illnesses and saved their lives. A makeshift shelter was built in the mechanics of a crane where the guys had placed hay for them. These are real men!

Now that they have been treated for worms and body lice, these pretty Brown Shavers are looking for loving caregivers. Meanwhile, thanks to Adie, they are enjoying a cosy life in a wonderful foster home.

It’s possible these hens were cruelly and illegally abandoned because they are older and may not be laying as well as they used to. Please apply for their adoption if you would like to spoil a couple of very friendly, curious girls who may or may not lay eggs. We have named them Carla (after our volunteer) and Eartha (in tribute to the great earthmoving team).

NOTE: If you witness anyone dumping chickens in public places, please note the time & date and write down their car number plate & description. If possible, also take a photograph of the offender(s) and forward all details to the Auckland SPCA so that a prosecution follows. Please inform others that abandoning an animal is cruel and is illegal under the Animal Welfare Act. Offenders can be fined up to $50,000.00, face a 12 month prison term - or both.

EX-BATTERY HENS NEED THOUGHTFUL CAREGIVERS

Sometimes Animal Re-homing and other agencies rescue a tiny minority of these abused hens before their slaughter date so that their remaining few years may be lived in comfort and pleasure.

Watching them learn to walk, to roost, to spread their wings, to dust bathe, to eat grass, to experience sunshine, etc is both disturbing and fulfilling.

For me, the greatest joy of all - is to see the spark of life and curiosity return to their deadened eyes. When we collect them from the “farms”, they remind me of prisoners-of-war with their ravaged and mutilated bodies, tormented minds and eyes that have stopped wanting to see. The transition to vibrant health is rewarding beyond words. The two pictured hens are recovered ex-battery girls.

If you would like to offer a home (or a foster home) to ex-battery hens, please read the ex-battery hen care guide before sending me your contact details and photographs of the sheltered area in which the hens would live until they are well enough to come and go from the enclosure. A comprehensive interview will follow. Thank you.

FATE OF EGG-LAYING HENS

What is the fate of all commercially produced, egg-laying hens - including factory farmed, barn raised & free range hen systems?

The brothers of all hens are killed at the hatcheries on the day they shake off their shells - because males of this breed are superfluous to the egg and meat industries. These male chicks are gassed or minced up, while still alive, in massive grinding machines. These killing methods are standard within the global egg industry.

To see an undercover video of a typical hatchery click here
Warning: This footage is disturbing.

The chicks will most likely have their sensitive beaks mutilated. The ends of the beak are sliced off manually or with a laser to prevent the hens harming one another, due to stress, in their future unnatural environments.

At the tender age of 18 months to 2 years, when their featherless bodies are exhausted, their eyes lifeless and their minds crazed, the young hens are slaughtered. Many of their bodies are so debilitated that they are simply discarded as waste. These photographs show ex-battery hens we have rescued and/or re-homed. We call them 'battered hens'.

What is the Solution?

To stop billions of male chicks being shredded alive and billions of hens being tormented and slain – please stop eating eggs altogether. Egg replacement products are available for baking, etc. See the Why Go Vegan pages of this website.

NOTE:If you witness anyone dumping chickens in public places, please note the time & date and write down their car number plate & description. If possible, also take a photograph of the offender(s) and forward all details to the Auckland SPCA so that a prosecution follows. Please inform others that abandoning an animal is cruel and is illegal under the Animal Welfare Act. Offenders can be fined up to $50,000.00, face a 12 month prison term - or both.


I love keeping chickens in the backyard and collecting fresh organic eggs every day. They’re great at pecking off pests from the plants and interrupting the pest reproductive cycle by gobbling up any insect eggs or larvae. The drawback, however, is that they scratch up the garden in the process and can wreak havoc with the plants growing in the same area.

Chicken Rescues Near Me

When I first brought chickens into my backyard I lost almost all of my plants. If the chickens didn’t eat the plants, they would scratch them out of the ground instead. Even though I had anticipated losing some plants, I didn’t realise that they were capable of destroying the whole backyard. Now I’ve tried a number of things to get my garden back in order and thought I’d share some of my tricks with you.

The choice of plants was the first thing I learnt. Fleshy large leafed plants were consumed within minutes, but plants with hard, coarse leaves or silvery foliage was left alone. they also seemed to dislike some strong smelling plants. So include things like lavender, rosemary, curry plant and scented geraniums. They also devoured annual plants with ferocity, so I’ve stuck with hardy perennial plants, with a strong root system once established. Some of these perennials are herbaceous meaning that they die down in winter but re-shoot in spring. These included salvias, red-hot pokers (Kniphofia spp.) catmint and catnip.

Taller plants and smaller trees that have foliage above the reach of chickens are good too, but you’ll have to protect them until they grow tall enough. Fruit trees are great and the chickens really help with pest prevention for fruits.

Physical barriers that I use to keep them away are wire trellising or frames around the trunks of plants. Plastic lattice placed in a cylindrical pattern around the trunks need to be secured in place with small stakes (I used old tent pegs, small bamboo stakes or pruned branches from the fruit trees).

Chicken rescues near me

One of my chickens (named “flighty whitey” for obvious reasons) was a bit more adept at getting over some lattice barriers and proudly displayed her superior flight capability as soon as I wasn’t watching. So I dug out some old mosquito nets that a friend had given to me and constructed an igloo over some beds using irrigation pipe and stakes as framework. It also added a particularly artistic colourful effect to my garden!! It also keeps the wild birds off too.

Physical barriers are okay for a whole bed or larger trees but trying to stop chickens scratching around smaller plants where they free range is another problem. I use 3 or 4 old bricks placed around the base of the plants so that the chickens cannot scratch too close to the plant. I cover the bricks with a mulch of old hay so they are a bit more hidden. This also helps keep moisture in the soil and gets the plant roots established. I found that if I leave the bricks in place for good, without trying to remove them later, then the plants have more success.

Chicken Sanctuary Near Me

I’m also a fan of plastic lattice for this too. If you spread this flat on the surface of the ground and hold it in position with sticks, stakes or bricks then chickens cannot scratch through it. I choose the larger weave with harder plastic rather than soft bird netting

Hen rescue near me

Here’s a summary of best plants for the chicken run, I’ll do another post on which medicinal plants to also include for chicken health soon.

Shrubs: lavender, rosemary, curry plant and scented geraniums.
Perennials: Salvia spp. Kniphofia spp. catmint, catnip
Trees: fruit trees