We visit parks and respond to âdumpedâ domestic birds throughout our community and beyond. Itâs heartbreaking to see a domestic bird, used to constant reliance on humans, lost and confused at a park or along a roadside wetland. These birds may have feathers, but they arenât wild and have no survival skills or true flight ability. To avoid illness and premature death they need to be rescued and cared for by committed guardians.
The illegal abandonment of farmed birds like ducks, chickens and geese is an epidemic happening everywhere. Ducklings, goslings and chickens are bought on impulse as cute hatchling novelties without proper research or preparation for their care. A few dollars spent at the farm store isnât reflective of the predator protection, housing, dietary needs or veterinary care necessary to keep them happy and healthy. Making matters worse, chicks cannot be accurately sexed at farm stores and people may end up with âoops roostersâ that theyâre not legally able to keep due to local ordinances or an improper male to female ratio of ducks causing issues theyâre not prepared to address. Once problems develop many people assume that vegan sanctuaries like ours have unlimited space and resources to take them in.
