Most abandoned roosters are in terrible shape when rescued and need separate housing and specialized vet care to recover. Funding for Rooster Rescue would allow us to provide crucial vet care for incoming, injured birds, complete contruction of foster-rooster runs, expand our adoption efforts and generate public outreach materials. Educational efforts to steer people away from abandoning domesticated poultry and toward becoming good caretakers would help prevent the problem in the first place.
Hen Harbor fields constant requests to take in roosters and hens. This epidemic of unwanted, but very deserving, birds goes largely unacknowledged. Although 50% of chicks hatched are male, most breeders make no plans for their placement and simply kill them. Buyers may not realize that most hens lay for only a few years of a 10+ year lifespan. Although illegal, they may abandon birds in remote areas, with the misperception that they're setting them free--not realizing it's a death sentence.
Most abandoned roosters are in terrible shape when rescued and need separate housing and specialized vet care to recover. Funding for Rooster Rescue would allow us to: hire an intern dedicated to finding safe rooster homes, provide crucial vet care for incoming injured birds, complete contruction of foster-rooster runs, and generate public outreach materials to steer people away from abandoning their poulttry pets..
Hen Harbor's goal is to recast chickens -- including roosters -- as loving companion animals rather than disposable commodities. Like any dog or cat, domesticated fowl have complicated social and veterinary needs. By helping communities view them in this light -- as individuals with the intelligence and sociability of any other companion animal -- we can rewrite the narrative of exploitation and cruelty that has long governed the existence of these magnificent but misunderstood birds.
