J and J Farms Animal Sanctuary

01/29/2025

Some mornings are a little harder to get up and moving than others. I feel you, Tucker. I think I hit “snooze” twice today. Anyone else having one of those days? 🥱😴

01/28/2025

A few days ago, we were tagged in a local Facebook post about a lost Muscovy duck. The poor girl had been seen wandering the area near Winfield Road for weeks. Lots of people commented on the post, but no one claimed ownership or knew where she might belong. Fortunately, through the coordination of some awesome animal rescuers, this little girl was caught and brought to the Sanctuary, where she’ll have the opportunity to join our own little flock of Muscovies once she finishes her quarantine period. She’s scared and shut down at the moment, which is understandable. I’m sure that will pass in time. Everyone, please welcome Winnie to the Sanctuary family! 💕

01/27/2025

Good morning! We’d like to start off the week by sharing an awesome video Cuddle Buddies did, featuring our very own Kevin! It turned out really cute! If you wouldn’t mind sharing it with all of your Kevin loving friends, we’d be really appreciative. Thanks! 🥰

This turkey acts like a little toddler with tantrums and full on conversations! Kevin was rescued from a factory farm in a really bad state, but luckily he f...

01/26/2025

It's the warmest day we've had all week. The sun is shining. There's a bit of snow melt. It's a nice reprieve from the bitter cold temps we've been experiencing as of late. ❄️

We thought we'd give the horses a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather, blanket-free, for a bit. Both their skin, and their blankets, could use a little fresh air. Our gentle giants have been outside all afternoon, soaking up the sun, munching on hay, taking naps and loving life. It's the horse version of a lazy Sunday. ☀️

01/23/2025

Good morning from Tucker! He has the most boopable nose. 🥰

01/22/2025

There are two types of dogs: those who live for cold weather and are content to spend hours outside romping through the snow…and those who require the aid of a leopard print jacket and some coaxing to make even a quick potty trip outside when the temperature dips below freezing. We have both of those types of dogs here at the Sanctuary. 😂

01/21/2025

It’s another crazy cold day here at the Sanctuary. Last I looked, the forecast low is scheduled to hit -12°F/-24°C. Draft horses are incredibly cold hardy, but how can we know our resident gentle giants aren’t too chilly in this weather? ❄

To start, our equine herd has the freedom to come and go from the heated barn as they please. The mangers in their stalls are packed with hay and we ensure they have ample access to plenty of liquid water. Where are our horses? Outside at the round bale, happily munching away. 🙂

Aside from the horses shrugging off our luxury accommodations in favor of embracing the elements, another good indication they aren’t too frigid can be determined best when it’s snowing. It may sound counterintuitive, but when we see snow piling up on the backs of our herd, we know their blankets are keeping them warm and snuggly inside. Placing a hand under their coats confirms just how much warmth they are producing. If heat were escaping from poorly insulated blankets, the snow would melt upon landing on the horses’ backsides. The same holds true when they are blanket-free and sporting nothing but their shaggy, winter fur. The long fur acts just like an insulated blanket. ☃️

01/20/2025

Kevin is going to be hanging inside with us for a few days during this arctic blast. Not being super agile or nimble, we’re always worried about the possibility of frostbite on his little tootsies. Look at that face. He’s so mad about his current predicament, he’s refusing to move. No joke, he’s staging a sit in. 🤣

01/20/2025

Happy Monday! We’d like to introduce you to one of our newest residents, all the way from Long Island, NY! This sweet little chukar partridge was slated for the dinner plate at a live slaughter market in NYC before being rescued by Humane Long Island. He or she is still young, so we’re not entirely sure what s*x this cute fluffball is yet, but what we do know is we can’t get enough of those adorable ear tufts! He/she has made fast friends with Dante and Rosie, our two other chukars. The only thing missing now is the perfect name! We’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments!

01/19/2025

I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting Karen, from Hope Haven Farm Sanctuary, in person yesterday. We had chatted on social media and via text message numerous times, but this was the first occasion we were able to interact face to face. Oh my goodness, she is simply lovely! If you don’t already follow Hope Haven on social media, please check them out. 🥰

Karen was here to pick up several chickens and a goose who came on a transport all the way from Long Island, NY! We had a couple of new residents who hitched a ride on that same transport, who we’ll be introducing to you shortly. I love when rescues work together! 💕

01/17/2025

Kevin says, “No! I don't want to go to bed!” 😂

01/16/2025

Our geese LOVE the cold weather. We frequently catch them “bathing” in the snow, dipping their beaks into the fluffy stuff and spreading it across their backs as if it were water. While geese are very cold hardy, due in part to their thick down feathers, we need to ensure their feet don’t get frostbitten from being out in the cold for too long. Every night and during the coldest of days, we usher them into their secure, heated coop to give them a break from the chill. ❄️

01/15/2025

I love how they all stand around the round bale in a semicircle, like a sitcom family at the dining room table. It’s too cute! 😃

01/14/2025

Sometimes you’ve just gotta take a break from chores to hug a goose!

Athena joined us back in 2016 as a tiny gosling. She was so sick, she needed to be monitored 24/7. For the first month we had her, she lived in a laundry basket with a heating pad so we could carry her around with us wherever we went. Nowadays, she prefers spending time with the rest of her flock, but she’s still down for the occasional cuddle or two. 🪿

01/13/2025

Good Monday morning from Kevin! We hope everyone has a wonderful week! ❤

01/09/2025

I’ll bet you’d never guess there were songbirds outside the window. 🐦😃

01/08/2025

Kevin normally reminds me of a fluffy cloud, but today he seems more like a snowball. This is his first official winter outside. So far he’s doing well. He really looks forward to his scratch grain and suet in the morning, both of which are good sources of fat and energy to stay warm on these frigid days. ❄️

01/07/2025

Everyone loves a happy story and this morning, we have one to tell! Blanco is one of our Pekin duck residents. He’s been here for a few years. Several months ago, he began having coordination issues. He couldn’t walk in a straight line, no matter how much he concentrated. We brought him in and upon further examination, the only external damage we could find was a mild case of bumblefoot on both of his feet. Sometimes bumblefoot can be extra painful and with big birds, like Pekins, who have difficulty ambulating as it is, a staph infection of the foot can be enough to upset their balance. ❤️‍🩹

Despite treating the bumblefoot, Blanco’s sense of orientation continued to worsen. It got so bad, he was unable to eat or drink on his own. With no other symptoms other than extreme lack of coordination, we started to suspect metal poisoning or even a spinal injury. We began tube feeding to ensure he got proper nutrients and called the vet to get Blanco on the schedule for radiographs. 🤞

Sure enough, the radiographs showed an abnormality in the spine. At least now we had a diagnosis. The vet recommended carrying on with our current routine of tube feeding, shallow water baths to practice balance and keeping him in a confined space to prevent further damage. He’d either heal…or he wouldn’t. Only time would tell. Duck necks are very difficult to immobilize, even with the aid of a pool noodle and vet wrap. 💔

For months we followed the vet’s advice. For months we saw little progress. We started to lose hope. Then, one day, Blanco ate on his own! We were so excited! The next day he ate a little more. His coordination was getting better, too. He was able to preen his own feathers without falling over. He started waddling through the house when we took him out of the bathtub. Blanco was getting better! ❤️

At the end of December when it warmed up to 60 degrees, we felt Blanco was ready to take the next step. We introduced him to the birds in our special needs run and crossed our fingers. It’s been a week now and he’s doing great! Check out the last photo in this series. It’s slightly blurry because he was busy running laps around the run when I tried to take a picture. We’re elated Blanco was able to heal to the point of reintegrating with other ducks. He’s proof that even when the outlook looks bleak, giving up is not an option. 🥰