Precious Baby Turkeys Saved from Starvation 

Precious Baby Turkeys Saved from Starvation.

For the last two weeks, Animal Place staff have been working tirelessly to place a large group of baby turkeys (called “poults”) rescued from a tragic situation. When a miscommunication occurred between a popular feed store and their bird supplier, an accidental shipment of 30 newly hatched poults was left unattended at a local post office. For three days the helpless poults were left in their shipment boxes at the post office without food or water as the feed store refused to step in and help.

When All Friends Animal Sanctuary arrived to save the day for the confused and hungry babies, they were horrified by what they saw.

For six of the poults, it was already too late. Surviving among their dead siblings, the remaining 24 baby birds were clinging to life.

Luckily, the birds were rescued and brought to All Friends Animal Sanctuary for temporary care. Since their rescue, Animal Place has assisted in finding loving, safe homes for many of the poults.

On Tuesday, April 13, Animal Care Director Hannah set out for a day’s journey to bring twelve of the precious poults to their forever homes with sanctuaries and rescues across California. Riding in luxury and style in Animal Place’s rescue van, one would have never thought that these tiny turkeys were once seen as “worthless” in the eyes of the feed store that left them to die in crowded shipping boxes. Adoptive sanctuaries include Shore Sanctuary, The Little Farm Rescue, Healing Hearts Farm Animal Sanctuary, Sweet Farm, and Bleating Hearts Farm Animal Sanctuary.

The two remaining poults have been welcomed with loving arms to the Animal Place family, and will live out their lives at the sanctuary. At just 2.5 weeks old, it is still unknown whether the birds are male or female.

As happy as we are to welcome these adorable baby turkeys, we are frustrated that shipping live baby birds through the mail without food or water for days on end is still entirely legal. Every year in the United States, 20 million day-old chicks are shipped to farms, feed stores, and private homes; and an estimated 300,000-400,000 of these chicks do not survive. When extreme weather or natural disasters cause delays in the postal system, newly hatched baby birds pay the price with their lives. Many people might imagine that the chicks, poults or ducklings sold through their local, family-owned feed store came from a local farm- but the reality is that these birds likely arrived by mail, risking death by starvation, thirst, exposure to the elements or package mishandling. 

Could you imagine if these were puppies or kittens?

As animal advocates and rescuers, we believe that even a single preventable death of a vulnerable baby bird is far too many. We urge you to stop buying birds from feed stores and websites- and opt instead to adopt rescued birds from your local sanctuary or rescue organization instead. Together, we can bring an end to the live shipping of baby birds in the future. 

In an effort to end this cruel treatment we are asking you to speak up on behalf of these helpless chicks and write to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy asking that they end the mailing of any live baby chickens.

You have a chance to help stop this horrific practice. All you need to do is take action here.

For today, we continue to fight for the welfare of these innocent animals; and provide a safe haven for two little turkeys who now call Animal Place home.

Written by Chelsea Pinkham

 

Information on participating organizations:

Animal Place
Founded in 1989, Animal Place’s California animal sanctuaries fill a much-needed niche of farm animal rescue, sanctuary, education, and adoption. Animal Place is one of the largest and oldest animal sanctuaries in the nation. We operate a 600-acre sanctuary in Grass Valley, California providing homes to nearly 400 rescued animals. Animal Place extends compassion to all life with a special emphasis on farmed animals. This is executed by providing permanent sanctuary, education, legislation and appropriate placement of needy animals.

https://animalplace.org/
Facebook: @AnimalPlace
Instagram: @_animalplace

Bleating Hearts Farm and Sanctuary
???????? ?????? ???? ??? ????????? is 501c(3) non-profit rescue and sanctuary located in Napa, California, providing a haven for most often abused or neglected farm and domestic animals in need of a permanent home. Facilitating adoptions for those rehabilitated, in a self-reliant and environmentally conscious plant-based farm agriculture setting, while educating the public about animal friendly lifestyle choices.
Https://www.bleatingheartsfarm.org
Facebook: @BleatingHeartsFarmAndSanctuary
Instagram: @bleatingheartsfarm

Healing Hearts Farm Sanctuary 
Healing Hearts Farm Sanctuary is a 501(c)3 nonprofit farm animal rescue + sanctuary located in Tehachapi, CA.  We are a forever home to animals in need, a place of healing, and a safe space for connection between animals & humans.  
www.healingheartsfarmsanctuary.org
Facebook: @healingheartsFS
Instagram: @healingheartsfarmsanctuary

“Giving animals in need the life they deserve”

The Little Farm Rescue and Sanctuary
The Little Farm Rescue and Sanctuary is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2018.  We work with the most vulnerable animals, including those abandoned, abused, neglected and slaughter bound. We provide them with lifelong care and advocate for more compassionate lifestyles for the greater good. Over the last three years we have taken in and assisted in the placement of over 250 animals and assisted in evacuating our communities during the recent  Woolsey fires.  From dogs to horses, sheep and goats and all those in between; we work hard to make sure we are advocating and helping in any and every way possible when we’re needed. 
https://www.thelittlefarminojai.com
Facebook: @thelittlefarmrescue
Instagram: @thelittlefarmrescue

The shore sanctuary
Located in San Diego nestled in the hills of Eucalyptus. Bird paradises we like to call it ?
Little but mighty 501(c)3 non profit vegan sanctuary for the misfits and unwanted. Special Needs/BIRD focused ?All species Welcomed!
The specific purpose of our rescue is to provide sanctuary and educational activities advocating for at risk endangered and traumatize bird species
Facebook: @TheShoreSanctuary
Instagram: @theshoresanctuary

All Friends Animal Sanctuary
Las Vegas, NV
The 501c3 sanctuary’s mission is to rescue and provide a safe, lifelong home to animals in danger of being slaughtered, neglected and/or mistreated in Las Vegas and surrounding area. We are a fairly new sanctuary started in late 2019 and the website is a work in progress.
Facebook: @AllFriendsAnimalSanctuary
Instagram: @allfriendsanimalsanctuarylv

“We are honored to be a part of a national and global community of passionate and compassionate humans who believe in helping individual animals, while remembering about and trying to change the plight of millions of animals. These turkey chicks are all individuals and we are excited to help them get to loving sanctuary.”

Sweet Farm
Sweet Farm is the first non-profit sanctuary in the world to address the global impacts of factory farming across animals, the plants and the planet. Our food web is incredibly complicated and it’s impossible to move forward without first acknowledging how these pieces are connected. By linking veganic agriculture, farm-animal rescue, education, and the technology that is revolutionizing food and agriculture production — Sweet Farm is redefining what it means to be a sanctuary.
https://www.sweetfarm.org/
Facebook: @SweetFarmCA
Instagram: @thesweetfarm

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