Safe at the Sanctuary
Rita & Hilda enjoying a dust bath
Sponsor the Flock! If you’re aware of classroom egg hatching projects in your community, we urge you to speak out and ask that the teachers not include egg hatchings in their curriculum. Please contact CAPE for more information about this issue and we will be happy to assist you.
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Rusty, the tiny bantam rooster who is missing part of his right leg and foot, has been settling in well to his new life at the CAPE Animal Sanctuary. With so many incredible advocates helping Rusty along the way, we have watched this sweet rooster's confidence and mobility grow. Initially, we worked to figure out solutions for Rusty's missing limb, building casts and make-shift prosthetics. He would "practice" standing on his fully formed leg and then use his stump to balance himself. Once he learned to stabilize himself, he would stand tall and let out a BIG (and adorable) crow!
We also took in a hen, Rita, who was rescued by our wonderful neighbors, Animal Place. Rita has a cross beak which can make eating and drinking a challenge. We knew Rita's gentleness would make her an excellent companion for Rusty and so we slowly integrated them. The first night they stayed together, CAPE staff found Rusty cozily tucked into Rita's wing. Rusty has become much more active since introducing Rita, learning to use his stump without any need for a prosthetic. We received a special coop from a volunteer that provides easy access for Rusty and enough space for both of them to roost. They spend their days together in an enclosed outdoor area with Hilda, a hen rescued from the cruel kapporos ritual. They sleep cozily at night in their little "love shack". In the mornings, Rita and Hilda "supervise" as we clean the barn stalls while Rusty soaks up some sunshine and crows to his heart's content. This handsome Silky rooster, who we named Walter thanks to the help of our CAPE community, was at the Napa County Animal Shelter since February 2021 and was having a hard time getting placed. He is shy towards humans but very gentle and sweet. Thanks to Bleating Hearts Farm and Sanctuary and Animal Place, who helped us with transport, he arrived at the sanctuary in May. He has fit right in with the three hens who were rescued last year from the cruel Kaporos ritual. Boba and Gordon were born in an elementary school classroom. They were baby chicks hatched as part of a class project about the birth of new life. What the lesson did not include was the fact that when a group of chicks are hatched, most often 50% are males. Roosters typically have a very difficult time finding a forever home and are often discarded in trash cans, landfills, and worse. In the factory farm egg industry, newly hatched male chicks are often ground alive in "macerating machines."
The family who took Gordon and Boba from the classroom did not know that Gordon was a rooster since baby roosters do not start showing male characteristics until they are 4-6 months of age. Once he started crowing, they contacted CAPE. We said we would be happy to provide Gordon and his hen friend Boba a forever home at the CAPE Animal Sanctuary. CAPE reached out to the principal of the school where Gordon was born, encouraging her to end the practice of classroom egg hatching projects. We are gratified to report that the school will no longer include hatching chicks as part of lesson plans. |
“"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr