Loads of sites come up in my feed. Some I scroll through, others I block and a few catch my interest and I click through to their page. Sanctuaries usually grab my attention and I often reach out to offer to post about their work on my blog. So far, I’ve profiled several rescue groups for my blog: in England, Australia and the USA.
This is my seventh profile of chicken rescues. From experience I know that folks running a rescue are busy 24/7 and don’t have a lot of spare time. I suggested that I scroll through their Facebook page to see what I could use. Ahimsa Safe Haven deals with a variety of species: 120 residents chickens, pigs, turkeys, quail, and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) cats. Due to the focus of my blog I only selected stories relating to poultry.
We started when I moved to my current property in 2018. I live on 10 acres in the country, in Onsted, Michigan. I moved here specifically so that I could rescue animals, but I wasn’t really sure what that meant yet. Within a couple weeks of moving here, cats started showing up. I got them all spayed and neutered and started trying to find them homes, but they were all outdoors. Some vanished. One was hit by a car. I realized I needed a safe place for them and I bought a little shed from Lowe’s, insulated it and put a couch and some litter boxes in there.
Simultaneously, I heard about a poultry farm in Colorado that was going out of business. Rescuers were allowed to come in and take as many Cornish Crosses as they wanted, and a small group agreed to triage and transport as many as they could find homes for. I signed up to take six roosters. They arrived around 1am on a cold night in the middle of January, 2019. I didn’t know a thing about chickens but I read as much as I could and texted the girl who had transported them to me for advice. I quickly fell in love and started taking more roosters who needed a safe place to go.Two of the original six are still here with us and will be seven years old in the next few weeks.
Over the years we have also grown to include nine pigs, two rabbits, a handful of turtles, mice, fish, and several other species of birds including guinea fowl, turkeys, quail (coturnix, California, button, bobwhite), chukars, pheasants (ringneck, green, silver), peafowl, and… I feel like I’m forgetting some.
We no longer do adoptable cats, but we are a sanctuary for cats with feline leukemia virus (FeLV). We specialize in sick, injured and disabled chickens, particularly roosters. Most of those we take have been dumped.
We now have over 100 animals but our goal has always been to treat every soul like they’re the only one here. Being one of a hundred doesn’t mean they should have to settle for a lower standard. While I don’t get to spend as much time with them as I’d like, every animal gets individualized vet care, and is grouped based on personality and family, so they don’t need no stinkin’ humans. Their spaces are large and natural. The pigs have space to root and sometimes we have to go find them in their pastures at meal times. I love our large pig areas. The chickens all live in small groups in large runs that grow wild. The turtles have an outdoor pond enclosed in a greenhouse with a removable roof to allow natural sunlight in. Even our fish are in 6’ long 125 gallon tanks. Of course we aren’t perfect, but we really strive to make sure they are as happy as possible. There’s a whole lot more to sanctuary than keeping them alive. They deserve to be happy and thrive.
Although it started with just me, my dad has become heavily involved (and gone vegan) and is the primary donor. Without him, we would be substantially smaller. We do get some donations but nowhere near enough to cover our part-time staff or even just our vet bills.
the Hindu and Buddhist doctrine of refraining from harming any living being
A few weeks ago, our little friend Zipper started limping. He had a hard nodule on the hock joint of his leg, and unfortunately the vet determined it was a tumour. His options were to place him on pain meds and let him live whatever time he had left, or to amputate the leg and hope we could get the entire tumour. Zipper is a button quail, is smaller than an orange, and doesn’t particularly enjoy human company. He’s between two and three years old, of a potentially 3-5 year lifespan. He’s hard to catch and hard to medicate, and we ran through many scenarios with our vet, deciding if it was ethical to put him through such a major surgery, or if it would be too hard on his possibly senior body.
Then last week, his girlfriend, Buttons, started limping. X-rays revealed multiple fractures in both her knee, tibia and fibula. (We don’t have a clue how this happened!) We are trying to let hers heal on its own, but if it doesn’t, the leg will need to be amputated. She is the same age and the risks are similar for a surgery of this magnitude, but her prognosis is better because we don’t have to worry about getting clear margins.
Since Buttons’ break, both quail are being kept in a small crate together to minimize movement and maximize healing potential. They are constantly sitting right next to one another, and it’s clear that both their lives are better with the other in it. We have decided that if amputation is right for Buttons, we’re going to give Zipper the same chance. They are our only two quail of this size, and they are better together.
Thank you to the person who bought Quinoa his book light! Our little disabled buddy takes a while to eat his dinner sometimes, but his book light (with a timer) allows him to eat after dark without disturbing his friends around him too much.
In October of 2022, I was headed to the vet with some of our other chickens when I spotted Katie sitting on the side of the road. She didn’t look injured, but she was out of place. No other chickens around, no houses with coops. I pulled over to see what was up, and she stayed right where she was until I picked her up. She screamed, and I couldn’t tell if anything was really wrong with her, but my gut said to bring her along. When we got to the vet I brought her inside, apologizing profusely for this extra bird who was not on the schedule. I set her down and she flopped over like a sack of potatoes. She couldn’t stand or even hold herself up, and I was immediately relieved we had her.
Long story short, she had a fractured pelvis, and a large tear on her side that required nearly twenty staples. She had to be tube fed and medicated for weeks, and it was over a month before she even tried to walk again. But she recovered beautifully, and outside of having a little lean to her, she became a normal chicken. She joined a flock with our tiniest rooster and had 2 1/2 good years with us.
This past weekend, we lost her. Despite several veterinary interventions, we suspect she had cancer and her body could no longer keep up. She spent the last few days of her life laying in the sunshine with her friends by her side. Even on her last day, her tiny boyfriend stayed with her, dustbathing near her feet and preening her feathers. She was well-medicated to make sure she was comfortable, and she passed in the middle of the night. She looked just like she had fallen asleep.
Losing anyone here is hard, but Katie fought through so much to be here that it stings a bit extra. At the end of the day though, we gave her what we could. Her broken body was put back together to carry her through watermelon snacks and snuggling up with friends every night. She had a second chance at life and she took it. Her big personality is going to be so missed, but we are so grateful for the time she had with us. Rest peacefully, sweet girl.
Woody came to us after last year’s super frigid week with horrible frostbite. He had been dumped in an apartment complex and sat outside alone with no food, water or shelter for several days in the midst of a winter storm.
Finally a wonderful human heard about him and brought him inside while she looked for help. Thankfully we were able to take him and she got him directly to our vet. He lost most of his comb but is otherwise now safe and healthy. And he now has a girlfriend!
Juno came to us just a few months ago with a large neck wound and a severed esophagus. We don’t know if she was injured by a predator or if a human tried to slit her throat, but she was extremely lucky to be alive. She had a pretty intense recovery as she had to be very delicately tube fed and flushed multiple times a day, but amazingly, she healed completely!
We introduced Woody and Juno late fall, and it was NOT love at first sight. Juno hung out in a wire crate just outside Woody’s run so they could look but not touch. Woody was moderately interested and Juno acted like she wanted to get to know him. After a few days of talking through the fence, we put them together and Juno immediately attacked him. Because chicken social rules are different than human rules, we wanted to keep trying. And luckily after a little more time on opposite sides of the fence, their second meeting went a lot better.
We wanted to make sure they were truly happy together before deciding to leave them as a couple. They both deserve to live with someone they genuinely like, not just someone they can tolerate.
Over the past month or so we have watched them bond and now Woody and Juno are nearly inseparable. Both in the coop and out in the run they can frequently be found right next to one another. At night they snuggle up close and Juno even tucks her head into Woody’s feathers sometimes.
It’s so heartwarming to see them both so happy. Woody had been alone for so long, and we weren’t even sure Juno was going to live. But these two are so strong and brave and their bad days are behind them. They have us, but just as importantly, they have each other.
Atreyu has been here nearly 5 years now after she escaped life in a battery cage, although with some major physical damage. She lost a wing and a leg, but she has shown us every day since that limbs are not necessary for leading a good life.
Last week she developed a little bit of a twist in her neck, and the last couple days it has become quite a bit more severe. Known commonly as wryneck in chickens, it can be caused by a few different things. It’s most common in babies with nutrient deficiencies, but in adults (and especially seniors like this sister), it’s worrying. We started her on some supplements just in case, but we haven’t seen any positive change. She isn’t able to eat on her own at this point, and she’s now being tube fed. She is seeing the avian vet tomorrow and the appointment can’t come quickly enough.
She has been through so much in her life. Egg laying hens in facilities like hers are typically slaughtered around 1.5 years old. She was probably around that age when she made her way here, making her about six years old. She has lived far more time in freedom than in a cage, but she deserves more. Atreyu has been invincible thus far. Please keep all your fingers and toes crossed that this is something fixable. We need our girl to stick around.
Here at Ahimsa Safe Haven, we believe every life matters – whether it purrs, clucks, oinks, or coos. Each day, we do our best to make sure our residents feel safe, loved, and at home.
If you’ve been following Ahimsa Safe Haven‘s journey and believe in what we do, we’d be honoured if you kept us in mind. Your support – whether it’s sharing our posts, spreading the word, or simply holding space for our mission – means the world to us.
Thanks to Cari for sharing her story and photos, used with permission.
“Because every chicken deserves a comeback story.”
Bitchin' Chickens 
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