Emergency Grassroots Chicken Rescue

We are gearing up for Kaporos 2019

Our volunteer team is coming together from across the country, prepping emergency care supplies, and readying to help as many Kaporos survivors as we can. We anticipate that there will once again be many baby birds with exposed wing bones, severed toes, open gashes, and other urgent wounds. And with uncharacteristically hot October weather, we're expecting to see severe dehydration. Any donation toward this effort are greatly needed!

World Vegan Day Update from Rocky: November 1, 2018

Happy #WorldVeganDay! Some real talk time: Alexa and I are over $5,000 in the hole from vetting and placing chickens rescued in September and October. And I'm here now to ask for community support.

In the course of a month, our little team provided care to, found safe placement for, and transported over 200 chickens. This was a HUGE undertaking. In the final hours of Kaporos alone, activists independently rescued over 60 chickens, who all ended up in my basement. A week later, crates containing 33 survivors fell from a slaughter-bound truck. 19 birds were severely compromised and required speciality care by avian vets, and countless others had more minor issues that required at-home treatment. We were either at the vet or on the phone with a vet literally every day for a month, while also scrambling to find additional placements and care for at times over 70 birds at once. We transported chickens throughout the country, to over 30 homes, big and small, who welcomed them into their care. And we fielded emergencies from the road: rescues happening simultaneously in NY, a blizzard in our path, and declining chickens needing hospitalization en route. It was a true team effort, one that I'm very proud of. This was also a grassroots effort, overseen by an all-volunteer team. Many of us had to take time off from paid employment AND pay sitters for our own rescued animals, so that we could care for and transport these birds. Even without factoring in these costs, we have still spent over $5,000 more on the vetting and transport of these birds than we have fundraised to date. Alexa and I are both in our mid-20s. We do not have huge savings to fall back upon, and have rent to pay, our own rescued animals to care for, etc. This has put both of us in a tricky position, and so I'm asking the community to please help! If you brought us a chicken during Kaporos, if you support what we do, if you want us to be able to continue rescuing animals (next Kaporos and year-round) please consider chipping in and/or sharing our fundraiser!

I'm so proud of what we've accomplished, and the updates we've received from the chickens' new homes confirm for me that this was so, so worth it. Thank you for helping us make this work possible!

-Rocky

Just some of our many amazing adopters! Ryan, Rousseau, Shauna, Lindsey, Victoria, Laura, and Mary Beth!

The Story:

Over 70 chickens in emergency foster care need your support!

Rescued from two dire situations, Kaporos and a transport truck accident, these two-month-old babies require immediate care for broken wings, exposed bones, large gashes, sepsis, necrotic or severed toes, and exposed muscle. Please donate toward their vet bills, sheltering, and transport to sanctuaries.

(If you are interested in adopting, please fill out this form .)

Jimmy's right wing is broken in two places. The good news? We're overseeing his care with an incredible team of specialist veterinarians.

Kaporos:

Each year, 60,000 chickens are killed on the streets of Brooklyn as part of the illegal Kaporos religious massacre. Last week, in the final 12 hours of Kaporos, activists saved over 60 chickens. If you rescued a chicken that night or saw the "leftover" birds the following morning, there is a good chance they ended up in our care, as the escapees were funneled to a Brooklyn basement for urgent triaging. A week later, 41 of these babies remain in foster as we arrange transport throughout the country and continue to treat nearly 20 for ongoing medical maladies. Among them...

∙Samantha & Sandy: Harsh handling broke their wings, leaving bones piercing through skin. Rather than risk further infection, both had their wings amputated.
∙Six Babies: Weeks of intense confinement left rapidly-growing babies Arthur, Lorraine, and their friends with splaying legs and limps. With bedrest and medication, they are beginning to stand and walk again.
∙Nina: The sharp edges of the transport crates cut into her, leaving a huge gash on her tiny body. Frequent cleaning, topical solution, and oral medication are helping her heal.

Frightened babies hid under the transport truck and were nearly run over when the truck pulled away. All three babies seen here, like little Josie, were rescued by our team and remain in our care. (Link )


Transport Truck Accident:

As a Queens man and his dog companion took their morning walk through the park, they noticed school children gathered on the sidewalk. Upon closer inspection, he discovered five crates full of chickens, who'd fallen off a truck on their way to an area slaughterhouse. When the police arrived, he pleaded for their lives. When we arrived, the police stated that they needed the chickens gone immediately and would let a slaughterhouse take them if we did not. We, of course, could not say no.

Though 3 were already dead in the crates, 34 terrified babies survived and were rushed to triage. Many required fluids, and 3 were immediately taken to a vet:

∙Frank: During the accident, the skin on his torso was ripped open, exposing the breast muscle beneath.
∙John: Already dealing with a broken wing and exposed bone, his foot poked through the crate as he held on for balance. As the crates flew through the air, his toe was severed in half.
∙Max: Unable to stand and toes twisted, it appears both of his feet may be broken.

Had Chris and his rescued dog not pleaded for the chickens, all 34 would be dead.

 Exhausted after an eventful day (and weeks of suffering beforehand), the babies comfort each other in their foster home.

We are committed to not only providing these babies with immediate and necessary care, but also placing them in safe and responsible forever homes. We work year-round to provide support and mentorship to sanctuaries where needed. Should this fundraiser miraculously exceed our expenses, any additional money raised will be given to the sanctuaries that took the most birds and have the least resources.

Thank you for supporting grassroots rescue and these 70 brave survivors. May their stories and resiliency inspire compassion for the billions who are less lucky.

**A special thank you to The Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos, Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, Farm Sanctuary, Hana, Kelly, Matt, Bobby, Isabel, Stacey, Katerina, Jimmy, Crank, Miriam, Cindy, Jaylene, Danielle, Alicia, Perry, and the list goes on and on, for all of your support on the ground and/or financially. These rescues are a true community effort.**