Mother Clucker's Microsanctuary

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Leicester, NC
Mother Clucker's Microsanctuary

We are a vegan sanctuary who believes that animals are here with us, not for us.
(5)

11/10/2024

The Myles Crew's run is disassembled. Tomorrow we'll start on the Mason Crew's run. Then next up is Jackson's run.

While we're here doing big things, big things have been happening at the rental.

The owner approved a shed and thanks to Donna and Ira, it has arrived at the rental.

This will be for the Myles Crew. It will be where they sleep. Even more importantly it will be their heated indoor space for cold days. We don't need to worry about little Myles being cold!

It will also be a safe, predator proofed space for all the chickens to sleep in, until we get their spaces set up.

Donna and Ira have even added rafters and created a flat ceiling to help with heating the shed.

They've been doing all of that for us while we're here breaking down the runs. I really have no words for how grateful I am that they have done this for us. ❤️

Today not only were they at the rental finishing up the shed, but our friend Sena and her friend Lauren, were at the rental attaching fencing to the cat pen. It's a 10' x 10' dog pen that will now be cat and chicken safe.

Until we get the chicken runs put up at the rental, the cats and chickens will need to take turns in the catio.

I wish I knew how to express the gratitude we feel for their help. I really can't imagine Mike and I doing all of this ourselves. I am honestly not even sure how we'd be able to pull it off. We can't be in two places at once trying to get things moved and ready for everyone.

Having the shed ready for us when we arrive, gives a safe place for the chickens to be and having the catio ready gives the former ferals an outside space they can be in. That's a big deal because they don't do well being confined indoors.

Our goal was to be heading to Burlington on Tuesday, but we needed to add on a couple extra days to get the runs disassembled. We're hoping that moving day is Friday. Saturday at the latest.

Thank you Donna, Ira, Sena and Lauren for being there for us, when we can't. I don't even know how to express how grateful I am for each of you.
❤️🐓🐈‍⬛

11/08/2024

Mike's worked by headlamp this evening to start disassembling the Myles Crew's run. He wanted to take the roof off.

The chickens are all tucked into bed and when Mike removed the roof it was loud.

Jackson, who is sleeping in the kitchen, started crowing and then Mason started crowing back to Jackson from his coop outside.

It's not like Jackson to start crowing when he goes to bed. He's not a night time crower and neither is Mason.

It startled me.

Jackson and Mason crowed back and forth to each other, for a few minutes, communicating with each other.

Then it hit me.

They were checking in on each other.

Jackson was concerned when he heard the loud noise outside and he was checking in on Mason and his family to make sure they were ok.

Mason let him know they're ok.

Myles would have communicated with them, but he couldn't hear the commotion outside, from inside the house where him and the girls sleep. Plus they sleep with their sound machine.

11/08/2024

It was day two of disassembling the runs.

Yesterday Mike removed the Myles Crew attached run.

Today he got most of the Mason Crew's attached run taken down. Tomorrow he'll finish the rest of their attached run and then start taking apart the Myles Crew roofed metal run.

Next up will be the Mason Crew's metal run and then Jackson's run will follow.

11/07/2024

Boone decided to stop helping with packing and went outside to lounge. Boone left and Hank moved in to not help.

Hank is so worried. We've always believed that Hank was dumped here. I can only imagine the worry and fear that's going on in his cat brain.

If we try to move him, he bites us.

We keep telling him "we're not leaving you Hank."

But he doesn't believe us. 😔

11/07/2024

We knew that eventually this shack would be torn down and we'd have to move. Anyone who has ever been here could see that eventually coming.

When Boone showed up (feral as feral can be) five years ago, I told Mike "when we have to move, Boone is coming with us."

I thought that when the time came that it would require trapping her and thought about how stressful that would be for her.

Now here she is helping me finish up packing.

Who would have ever thought?

Boone helping me pack.

I'm incredibly grateful Boone crossed the feral line before all of this.

When more cats showed up my fear was knowing we would eventually have to move. It was all too much, but there's no way I could have turned my back on them.

Now they will be going with us.

Boone is helping me pack and, as always, keeping a close eye on me. Hank is up in the loft on Mike's office chair and refuses to leave the loft. Hank has been extra worried that we're going to leave him. He's very nervous. 😔 Frank is out in the yard watching Mike break down chicken runs. Frank has needed extra reassurance over the last couple of weeks, even from Mike. It's the first time he's been like that with Mike. Frank rubs all around Mike's legs. Mike keeps telling him "we're not gonna leave you buddy. I promise."

Donna and Ira (our friends who will now be our neighbors) brought the 10 x 10 dog pen, that they gave us, over to the rental when we were there on Monday.

They are setting it up for us before we move in next week. It will be an outdoor space for Boone, Hank and Frank while they get acclimated to their new home. They'll still be sleeping with me, but I'll need to crate and carry them out to their pen during the day.

I'm so grateful Donna and Ira are doing that for us. Blown away with ALL of their help actually. They've been helping us so much.

I plugged in the feliways when we were there on Monday. As soon as the power is turned on, the new space should fill with pheromones. I really hope it helps with the stress the cats are going to be experiencing.

I wish there was something like that for chickens.

They're going to be stressed too.

It's going to be so stressful for the animals. So many changes are on its way.

Sebastian stays by our side non stop and the indoor cats keep needing reassurance.

It makes me sad that even with all the love animals are given, there is always that piece inside of them that fears that they are going to be abandoned and left behind.

Mike and I talked about it on the way home on Monday. How else would we expect them to feel? That's how most of them have been treated ever since humans bred them into existence. Like they are disposable. I don't think that innate fear will ever leave them.

11/06/2024

We had our last appointment with Dr. Rhyne and Delilah this afternoon.

Sally needed refills for her heart medications, so she had her yearly physical.

Although we'll have access to an avian exotic vet near our new area, I wanted her to see Dr. Rhyne and to know Sally is set. It's going to be a big whirlwind when we move permanently. There's so much to do and of course anxiety. I wanted to make sure Sally is ok before moving.

I held it together pretty well, until it was time to say goodbye. Then I started falling apart.

Dr. Rhyne has been a big piece of our sanctuary ever since the first rescue chickens arrived here. I remember packing up the four of them and taking them to see Dr. Rhyne at the hospital she was working for, so they could get a check up. She was so good with them and good with me. She's always been so patient with me and all my questions, and she quickly learned how my brain works and describes everything in a way that clicks with me.

Sally was one of her patients that day, way back in 2017. And everyone here has been her patient ever since. She's been our chicken vet for 7.5 years now.

When she started her own mobile practice, I was thrilled when Delilah showed up as her vet assistant, at one of our appointments years ago. I felt an instant connection with her too.

The two of them are quite the team. The chickens love them and I love them and I'm going to miss them like crazy.

So I cried as we said goodbye. Then I cried some more after they left.

When we found out we had to move, a thousand thoughts went through my mind. One of my first thoughts was that I was going to lose Dr. Rhyne and Delilah. I've trusted them, like I haven't trusted anyone, when it comes to the chickens. On a personal level, not only do I love and trust them, but we also just click.

I'm going to deeply miss them and the chickens will miss them too.

Thank you Birdhouse Mobile Exotic Vet for being by our side for all these years. Thank you for seeing the chickens in our care as individuals. Thank you for your knowledge and for treating everyone here with nothing but respect, compassion and kindness. They've always been in the best of hands, and hearts, with you. ❤️

11/05/2024

We did it! We got our first U-Haul trip tucked under our wings!

Do you know how I always say that it takes a village for the chickens in our care?

Well it's taken a village for us too when it's come to this move.

I can't stop thinking of the gratitude I have felt through this life changing process. Thank you for your help, love, support and positivity.

Today we felt a big part of our village with Donna, Kim and Sena. They are friends who showed up and helped us unload the truck today. Thanks to their help we got the truck unloaded in under a couple of hours! I felt, still feel and will always feel grateful for their help today.

This move was hard to accept, and overwhelming, but the friends (and strangers) who have been here for us has been a blessing. We have felt like we aren't alone and I can't even express how much that means to us. Because of our village we feel like everything is going to be ok.

I couldn't have thought that a few months ago.

I've found peace and acceptance with the changes that are happening. Today Mike and I both actually felt excitement.

We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we're determined to create a new sanctuary space for those in our care. One that they will continue to love and enjoy.

We're exhausted. It was a long day with a lot of driving.

The chickens and cats are all fine. Delilah even sent me photos. Sebastian went with us today, he's already crashed. He had a big day too.

When we got home we carried the chickens to their beds, so they should have a good night's sleep now that they're in their own beds and not in their coop kitchen.

No pics today. So I'm sharing sassy Sam from a couple of days ago.

Thank you Donna, Kim, Sena for being there for us today. ❤️ And thank you Delilah for making sure the kids here were ok. ❤️

11/04/2024

The truck is loaded and the kitchen is one big coop.

While we head to the rental tomorrow, for our first drop off, the chickens will have to stay inside for the day.

They aren't going to be happy about it, but with the time change, we won't be home before dark to be able to tuck them in.

Inside it is so we know they're safe.

Our vet assistant, Delilah, will be checking on them to make sure everyone is ok and hand out treats. I'm grateful that Delilah does that for us and it's nice because the chickens know her, like her and trust her being in their space.

If you are in the Asheville area, I can't recommend Delilah enough. She has Birdsong Pet Care if you need an exotics pet sitter. She's not only knowledgeable and experienced, but she's also an exotic animal whisperer. The chickens love her.

We are beat and are off to bed.

Please send safe travels our way.

11/03/2024

Hey human! Don't forget to pack my new fancy pants and fancy shoes!

I'm gonna need to look sharp for when I stroll around our new town!

~ Myles

11/01/2024

It's getting real!

We picked up the truck today.

Mike's been loading and I'm still packing.

We'll be heading to Burlington on Monday. We'll unload and then we'll be heading back here to break down the chicken runs.

Jackson thinks U-Haul needs photos of chickens on their trucks.

I definitely agree with that!

He also said he wants to take the truck for a spin.

I told him I'd think about it, but there's no way I'm giving him the keys.

As a matter of fact the keys will be hidden from Trucker Jackson.

That's what he keeps calling himself today. 😄😳

10/31/2024

Good morning! Hope you get lots of treats and no tricks today! 🎃

10/30/2024

Taking a much needed packing break and hanging out with Boone, Jackson and Frank.

It's such a beautiful day.

I'd much rather be outside than be inside packing!

Time to get up off my rump and head back inside.

10/29/2024

If you've followed us since the beginning, you may remember Mica and her communication log.

It was the log that stood by the door to their run.

Mica would stand on the log and yell for me whenever she needed something.

She'd also let us know when she was ready to be carried to bed, by jumping onto the log.

Everyone followed suit and would copy Mica. When they needed something, or wanted to tell us they were ready for bed, they'd get on the communication log.

The communication log eventually rotted, so we replaced it with the big, tall chair.

Mica quickly taught everyone that it was the communication chair.

This piece of Mica is still seen by us everyday.

Louise and Cyana have passed down, what they learned from Mica, to Lucy.

Now when Lucy is ready for bed, up to the communication chair she goes.

I can never see anyone on the communication chair, without thinking of Mica.

It's extremely touching and a little sad.

Sad because I miss her.

But it's so very touching to see that her tradition has been passed down, even to those she never met.

Like Lucy.

You can see that Lucy still has a lot of feather growing to do.

Thankfully she's been handling her molt like a pro.

10/29/2024

Blueberry session with Mason. ❤️

10/29/2024

Boone got a new cover for her cot!

I was excited about it, but she wasn't as excited as I was when I replaced her old cover.

I told her "look Boone! It doesn't have a big hole in it!"

Her old cot cover was pretty ragged and beat up.

She wouldn't step foot on her cot all day. This evening though, as I did the evening chicken routines, she got up on her cot. ❤️

I was glad about that. I want her to be used to the cover change before we move. The move is going to be scary for her and I want her to know the new cot cover is hers and not give her a surprise as we move in. They'll be enough changes as it is.

I was really hoping we'd have a chance to get the chicken runs put up before we all moved there. And I was REALLY hoping I'd be able to set up Boone, Hank and Franks outdoor pen before we moved to our new space.

That's not how this move unfolded though.

We'll have to get everything put together after we're all there.

I did order feliway. It got delivered yesterday.

When we head there next week, to take the house items, I'll be plugging the feliway in and get the new place filled with pheromones for the cats.

Moving is stressful, but trying to make it not as stressful for the animals is extra stressful.

It's going to be a big change for all of us, but especially for them.

I'm just so incredibly grateful Boone crossed the feral line before this change.

The cats know something is going on.

Especially Boone.

She's been acting nervous and has needed extra reassurance that everything is going to be ok.

10/28/2024

Packing, packing and more packing is our lives right now.

We will be moving the house items to our new place this coming Monday, November 4th. We'll unload, come back and break down the runs. We'll be heading back to our new place with the runs, coops, animals and us on November 12th.

This morning I boxed up feathers.

There isn't a single chicken who has come into our lives that I don't have feathers from.

I've tossed out a lot of things, but there's no way I could not take these with us.

Last night I told the spirits, of those we've lost, to please come with us on our new journey.

Then I felt silly.

The spirits of those who have crossed over will always be with us no matter where we are.

Love is an energy that never dies.

The love for those we lose remain with us wherever we are in this world.

In our hearts, minds, souls, memories.

And in spirit.

10/27/2024

Packing with cats goes like this:

1. You pull out a box and a cat jumps in the box.

2. You remove the cat, put some items in the box and a cat jumps in the box.

3. This gets repeated over and over again.

4. Be sure to remove the cat before taping the box shut. This is VERY important.

This is Gabby. Next month (November 11th) she'll be 20 years old! We've been together for 19 years of her 20 years of life. She's been through just about everything with me. She's been my soul cat. From the second we met, we just clicked and related to each other. It was an instant connection.

Gabby was diagnosed with IBD several years ago. She's had her ups and downs but keeps on going. She has old lady cat health issues, but that doesn't stop her from enjoying her cat life.

This will be our third move together.

At almost 20 years old it's nice to see that she still has to get up in all my packing business. ❤️

10/27/2024

Lucy and Myles. ❤️

Lucy's molt finally slowed down. Her little body is covered in pin feathers. What's amazing is all of the new feathers that are growing in on her back where her major injury was when we took her in. Thankfully through her molt, she has still had her appetite and is her regular active Lucy self.

Until her new feathers completely grow back in, her and Myles are running around with matching bums.

These two are so cute together and love each other so much. We're so grateful they found each other.

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Videos

I wanted to paint this morning, so I was a little late for our walk. Jackson was so sweet. When I let him out of his run, I stepped in to do the morning poop scooping. Jackson came running back over to the run and stood in front of the door saying "come on human! We've got chicken stuff to do!" So out I went and chicken stuff we did! We pecked at the ground and got our breaks nice and dirty, ate grass, dined on some clover, did laps around the yard, visited with the neighbors, hung out with Boone, visited the Boone Saloon with Frank, ate what mock strawberries we could find, made a trip to the watering hole and took time to stop and smell the marigolds. It was a good chicken time. Jackson didn't even complain that I was running late this morning. He said "better late than never human!" Where he picks up these sayings, I have no idea.

Thank you for your donations to the girls fundraiser! You are literally their life saver. ❤️ Thank you for knowing that their lives matter, thank you for your support and thank you for being a part of our village. ❤️

You know me with my updates. I often hesitate to post them. Not because I'm not thrilled when I see improvements, but because after years of caring for chickens I've become a cautiously optimistic person. I didn't want to share until I could observe Myles for most of the day. I wanted to let you know that this morning Myles woke up with improvement. He still slept with his head rolled underneath him, but once I got him up, and took him out to the yard, he was able to get his bearings much more quickly than he has been over the last three days. Myles spent the morning crowing his little heart out, which is always a good sign for roosters. He tidbitted to the girls and even did a little wing dance for Lucy. He's been outside with the girls all day and so far he hasn't needed to come inside to nap and rest. Myles still has moments of his head getting twisted underneath him, but they have been less frequent so far today and his recovery time as been quicker. He's having a hard time drinking from the water bowl though. It triggers him into his head spins. I've been making small puddles on the ground for him to drink from, it seems easier for him to drink from puddles for some reason. He doesn't want watermelon, so I've been soaking blueberries in water and hand feeding them to him. I went to check on him a little bit ago and he was standing on the edge of the little step down that goes into their roofed run area. I said "no Myles! I'll come help you get in there!" He has a hard time with step downs because it triggers head spins. I didn't get to him fast enough and he went to step down to get in that part of their run. He fell over and did a flip flop roll, but got himself up pretty quickly. I brought dirt in and leveled that step down spot. Hopefully that won't be an issue again. I took him out a little bit ago for some yard time. He's ALL into the grass seed in the yard. He found a nice patch of dried out grass seed in front of the catio and he mowed it

This was Myles after I got him up this morning. I was hesitant to share this video because I think it's upsetting. But I also think it's also important to share what he's going through. My heart ached so much seeing him like this this morning. He actually did well today outside in the run. Once I took him outside, to see how he'd do, he was able to hold his head up. It was tilted, but he could hold it up and walk without circling. It reminded me of my Zola. She always did better with her neurological issue when she was outside. She had a tougher time inside. Myles did not go in their roofed run today. He would stand at the doorway, but not go in. I'm pretty sure it's because there is a 3" or so step down. He didn't want to attempt it because it would it would cause him to loose his balance. At one point I checked on him and he was standing on a piece of a broken log that was maybe just 1" or so high. I could tell he was stuck. I helped him down and that sent him into his head spinning and it getting stuck upside down. I held his head and talked to him. That helped him to calm him down and get his bearings. He got his head back up and went back to doing his Myles chicken things. I was out with Jackson. Jackson and Cyana were talking smack to each other (through the fencing). Cyana turned to walk away and accidentally bumped Myles. That bump sent Myles into his head issue and balance issue. I started to head into the run to help him, but fortunately he was able to get his bearings on his own and got his head up. His head has had a subtle tilt to the right this week, but today it was much more obvious. He's tucked in for the night. When Mike carried him to bed, he had to hold up Myles head for him. I went to check on him and his head is upside down. 😔 I'm so grateful he has is appointment in the morning. It's at 8:30 am. It's a little bit of a drive, so I'm heading to bed because I need to get up extra early to get everyone up in the morning, fed and sit

Well my little flower child Jackson is a flower child no more. He trampled down the marigolds!

Catio time with Mason. ❤️ I hope one day soon he'll be as comfortable with me in their run as he is during our catio time.

One thing I've noticed with Mason, since he arrived, is he's scared of rain. I've never had a chicken who is scared of the rain before. Even though he has an entire roofed run, to be under when it's raining, rain still upsets him. During our catio time this morning it started pouring rain. He was extremely nervous, but we toughed it out with talking and blueberry treats. After a little time passed he finally let out a stress shake. This is the shake that I talk about on my posts. It's called a dry shake and it's how animals release stress. This is what I encourage Mason to do more of. He's really good at holding on to his stress and I'm wanting him to learn that it's ok to shake his stress off. We've been working on learning the word shake.

Myles decided a few weeks ago that he's a big boy and that he doesn't need to be held like a baby when I take him outside in the mornings. He perches on my arm and crows during his ride outside. This is my view during our trip and it gets me every single morning. 😄 He's such a floof ball!

Jackson's new morning routine is to run over and see Mason as we head out to his run for breakfast. Let's go Jackson! Time for breakfast! "I'm coming human! I'm coming!"