Tag Archives: animal sanctuary

The Bird is the Word

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By Susie Coston, National Shelter Director

The end of spring has found us all aflutter at the New York Shelter, where we’ve welcomed more than 70 new feathered friends.

Reba and Willie
These two geese came to us from a private property in the Rochester area, where they were shut inside a small pen in a barn. In January, the property owner had obtained them from the local dog warden, who had found the geese as strays. What could have been a respite turned briefly into a nightmare for the pair: the woman is a suspected hoarder who has been reported to her local SPCA in the past. A friend of hers found out about Reba and Willie and called us, anxious to remove them from their miserable living situation. Fortunately, we were able to negotiate the release of the pair. At our shelter, they will have plenty of space to wander, graze, and swim, like all geese deserve to do.

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Willie on the left, and Reba on the right, swimming with new friends.

Ace and Ventura
Around the same time, we learned of another goose in need. Ace had been living on a property in western New York for 15 to 20 years. He had once been a member of a flock, but all of his friends had been killed by predators. The property owner’s daughter and her aunt feared Ace would be next, so the aunt reached out to us. We gladly offered Ace a safe home at our shelter.

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Ace

Geese are sensitive animals who form deep bonds with their mates and friends. Having witnessed the deaths of his companions, this poor guy was so distressed that he became neurotic and pulled out all his chest feathers. The feathers are now starting to grow back, but Ace is still frightened and has a great deal of emotional healing ahead of him. Finding him a friend to help him feel safe again has been a priority, but all of our residents are clearly paired up and bonded with other geese. Continue reading →

Goodbye, Winter (and Good Riddance)

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By Susie Coston, National Shelter Director

Winters at the New York Shelter always present challenges. This one was especially brutal, with record-low temperatures in February and scathing wind-chills throughout the season, but it was no match for our dedicated shelter team.

Since few visitors ever see the shelter between the end of October and the beginning of May, I thought I’d share a glimpse of what living the (freezing) Farm Sanctuary life is like during the reign of winter.

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Suiting Up

Every day this winter, staff members were out and about from dawn until after nightfall, in wind chills as low as negative 35 degrees. Naturally, this requires a lot of clothing: layer upon layer, topped off with heavy-duty boots, hats, gloves, and facemasks. Moving around in all that is no easy task. It’s like working in a space suit!

The shelter’s humans aren’t the only ones who suit up. Our elderly sheep and goats, as well as the very young ones and anyone who has little body fat or just gets chilly, is outfitted with a special coat to keep them cozy. This year several of our turkeys molted in the middle of winter, so caregiver Abbie Rogers sewed them their own warm (and fabulous) jackets.

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Ice, Ice, Baby

While most shelter residents prefer to stay inside during the worst of winter, the cattle love to go out in all conditions. They even run and play in the snow. Since a fall could be devastating for these massive creatures, it’s crucial to keep their walkways ice-free. Salt is harmful to the animals’ feet, so staff fight the ice with sand, shoveling tons of it by hand over the course of the season.

On top of the battle with ice is the battle with snow. It was a seriously snowy winter this year, and the roads, paths, and animal areas were often buried under tremendous drifts that made the shelter grounds look like a frozen seascape. Plowing our vital walkways was a constant task for the barn cleaners. This tenacious team kept our paths clear all season, even when it got so cold that the tractors wouldn’t start.

The Barn Dance

Barn conditions are a tricky, high-stakes business in the brutal cold of winter. The barns must provide enough weather protection to keep the animals warm but, especially in the case of the large animals, must also admit enough airflow to prevent the atmosphere within from becoming moist, which would put the animals at risk of pneumonia. Regulating this takes attention to detail. Doors are kept open or closed strategically, every barn has a thermometer, and we keep a close eye on the weather.

It’s also important, as always, to keep the barns clean. In the summer, barn cleaners move the animals out of the barns for more efficient cleaning (and most of the animals are already outside anyway), but once it gets cold, it is no longer safe to do so. Instead, the cleaners must work around the animals, shifting them around the barn as they go. This slows down the operation, but it’s worth it to keep everyone safe and cozy.

Creature Comforts

The cleaners have a lot of straw to contend with in the pig barn, where we pile it knee-high during the cold months. The pigs build big nests for themselves, burrow down, and largely disappear from view until spring.

In their barns and sheds, our chickens and turkeys keep warm with ceramic heat-lamps (sent back to the manufacturer every year for safety checks). Along with the ducks and geese, they spend most of the coldest months inside; they prefer to stay nice and warm, and their beaks, bills, and feet can be vulnerable to frostbite. With plenty of space to roost, stroll, socialize, or have a private moment, the birds can get on with their lives even as the wind howls outside.

Like the birds, the goats hate the cold, and most stay in their barn. About 15 of them wear coats for additional warmth. The sheep, on the other hand, have their wool to keep them warm and tend to take the winter in stride. We do keep our special-needs sheep separate from the main flock so we can make sure they don’t fall or get stuck outside in the cold.

Our new mothers and babies, along with some of our elderly animals who have trouble staying warm, spent the season in our three warmest buildings. Our Melrose Small Animal Hospital, Rescue and Rehabilitation Barn, and Healthcare Hospital all have radiant-heat flooring, and our most vulnerable animals were safe and comfortable there all winter.

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Water, Water Everywhere

One of the many tasks complicated by winter weather is supplying the animals with water. It got so cold this year that the pipes beneath multiple barns and sheds froze, disabling many auto-waters and obliging staff to haul water to the animals. Any caregiver in charge of feeds and waters inevitably got wet — you could hear them coming from the ice rattling on their pants.

So. Much. Hay.

We have 50 cattle, 75 sheep, and 40 goats at the shelter. When pasture is available, these ruminants eat mostly grass. During the other six (or, in the case of this year, seven) months of the year, they eat hay. Food is the fuel they need to keep their bodies warm, and the colder it gets, the more fuel they need. During the depths of this winter, we were going through about six and half tons of hay every week.

Distributing all that hay takes not only elbow grease but also know-how. Different groups of animals get different types of hay. For instance, elderly animals who are missing teeth and/or have trouble keeping weight on their bodies are given a soft, rich grass hay. Heartier animals are given a hay that is not so rich, to keep them from becoming overweight. Male goats and donkeys require specific nutrients in their hay to prevent certain health issues.

In addition to hay, our elderly goats and two of our elderly cows receive a special mash that’s easier for them to eat. This is typically prepared by our interns. Yes, there are folks who choose to intern with us during the coldest, snowiest, iciest time of year, and we are grateful for them.

Extra Care

During the winter, you won’t find one staff member here who doesn’t know the forecast. We pay constant, close attention to the weather, the conditions in the barns and yards, and especially the animals. We watch for any signs of discomfort or illness, which is a particular risk during the temperature fluctuations toward the end of the season. By that point, many of the animals have a serious case of cabin fever. Things can get pretty rowdy in the barns, as their residents act out like kids stuck inside too long. We certainly can’t blame them for getting antsy.

The increased difficulty and discomfort of the work, as well as concern over keeping the animals safe and healthy through it all, can be exhausting, so we also pay close attention to each other. We check in often, make sure people are taking breaks and giving themselves a chance to thaw out. When the cold descends, we all draw a little closer together, both animals and people, everyone feeling a little extra grateful for the warmth and support of the shelter family.

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Extra Joy

And then, after all that, suddenly it’s spring.

Coats are shed (or sheared), the ducks and geese return ecstatically to their pond, the pastures turn a dazzling shade of green, and everyone comes out to soak up the sunshine. The animals bask in it for hours. They run, they play, stretch their legs, and kick up their heels. We all get a little giddy. We’ve made it through another winter, together.

spring photo

Baby Boom

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By Susie

It was a baby-boom summer at our New York Shelter! We frequently rescue young and even newborn animals. Less frequently, we have the opportunity to help deliver animals at the sanctuary when we rescue those who are already pregnant. In these cases, our caregivers face intensive prenatal rehabilitation efforts, sleepless nights keeping watch as the crucial moment approaches, high-risk deliveries, plenty of hard work to help new moms and babies in the early days… and great excitement as we watch new life begin to flourish and new families grow.

Julia and Her Babies

Just a five days before July 4, Farm Sanctuary’s Emergency Rescue Team arrived at a factory pig farm where authorities were confiscating a pregnant breeding sow. The day before, a worker had brutally kicked, beaten, and shocked her as she screamed in pain. Settling her in our trailer, we saw the bruises and burns on her body — and profound fear in her eyes.

A mere eight hours after arriving at our New York Shelter, the sow, now named Julia, gave birth to 16 premature piglets. Our entire shelter staff leapt into action to provide the 24-hour, critical care these fragile babies needed to survive. Their mother, too, required weeks of careful treatment including fluids and treatment for mastitis. Although she still required medical care, her fear was clearly gone. The trust she immediately displayed for her new caregivers, and the patience and love she gave to her babies, have been an inspiration to us all.

Today mom and babies are thriving. Dynamic duo Antonio and Bertha and best pals Gus and Ben have already found wonderful adoptive homes, and more adoptions are coming soon. With their new families, these piglets will be showered with attention and spend the rest of their lives in the company of their beloved siblings. Mom Julia is staying with us along with two of her piglets, Diane and Linus.

Oleander and Pappas

Earlier in the summer, we rescued seven emaciated cattle from a central New York property where they had been starving to death in a barren field. In adjacent barns, sheep, chickens, and a goat also languished in neglect, and nearby loomed a makeshift slaughterhouse. We rescued more than 60 animals from this grisly scene.

During physical exam, we quickly discovered that Oleander, one of the cows, had been struggling not only to survive but also to support new life. Neglect had placed both her and her unborn calf at risk, and we did all we could to nourish them both as the birth drew near.

With vigilant care, Oleander gained sufficient strength to bring a healthy boy, Pappas, into the world. Her growing strength was accompanied by growing joy. The young mother and her son delight in each other, and Oleander is never far from her youngster’s side. Recently, this little family has grown with the addition of a calf named Elijah, who has become a best friend to Pappas and a second son to Oleander.

Belinda & Elijah

The story of Elijah’s mother, Belinda, exemplifies the maternal benevolence of cows, not only toward their own flesh and blood but also to other calves in need. Belinda was among the herd of rescued cattle that included Oleander. She too, already desperately depleted from starvation and nursing her calf Octavia, was carrying a new baby. She is also a very old cow, and it is likely that she was kept in a cycle or pregnancy for more than a decade before arriving at our shelter. By the time Belinda was rescued, her body had stopped producing milk in order to support her new pregnancy. Fortunately, herd mate Luna stepped in, allowing Octavia to nurse alongside her own calf, Orchid. This trio became inseparable, and after recuperating at our shelter, they have been adopted by Vine Sanctuary in Vermont.

With the help of Luna and her new caregivers, Belinda was able to carry her baby to term. Mother and son’s time together, however, was soon interrupted. Still weak from neglect and taxed from giving birth, Belinda fell gravely ill and was rushed to the hospital. Although he was sad to be away form his mother, Elijah was a trooper during her weeks of recovery and quickly took to the bottle.

Finally after more than six weeks, Belinda was well enough to return to the shelter. Still weak and vulnerable to udder infection, however, she was in no condition to nurse. We tried fitting her with a special bra to prevent Elijah from trying to suckle, but his presence caused her to begin lactating again, and she immediately contracted mastitis. Knowing this could cost Belinda her life, we were forced to separate them. To lift his spirits, we introduced him to Pappas and his mother, Oleander. The two calves bonded instantly, and, within a few days, Oleander had fallen for Elijah as well, allowing him to nurse and becoming as protective of him as she is of Pappas.

Now Belinda can focus all of her energy on getting well. When she grows stronger, she will join other rescued cattle, make friends, and form new bonds. As Octavia and Elijah have done with their adoptive mothers and siblings, she will build a new family. That’s part of the new life created by this baby boom: not only life beginning but also life beginning again.

Animals used in food production, from dairy cows and pigs to chickens and sheep, rarely have the opportunity to experience the mother–child bond – in fact, piglets, calves, and lambs most often are taken from their mothers soon after birth. Some, such as male dairy calves, are sold for cheap beef or simply left to die in agony. Others, like the parents they’ll never know, become yet more “units” in our food-production system, processed for maximum growth at the expense of their health, their sanity, and their lives. This emotionally wrenching process is just one of the many hidden cruelties farm animal production.

Come meet these new families at our New York sanctuary and experience for yourself the remarkable love and devotion farm animals have for their young — or learn more about them online: The Mother and Calf Bond and Julia and Her Piglets.