Mercy At First Sight

09/06/2024

01/04/2024

Well, it’s that time of year again. Feed stores get shipped boxes of chicks from hatcheries each week during much of spring, some of which will never make it out of the box alive. They are often bought as an impulse purchase because they are tiny and cute, without realizing the lifelong commitment they require. This little one and a few others had severe pasty butt (where their vent gets clogged with hardened f***s so they are unable to p**p) so the store manager allowed me to take them home to rehab them. This is our annual plea to consider not purchasing chicks that were shipped in the mail.

25/01/2024

01/11/2023

Thought today would be the perfect time to introduce you to Hallow! She lived with goats at her last home and wound up with a broken foot. Her former caregivers didn’t have the time to devote to her healing so she reached out for help. She’s off her pain meds and antibiotics and is using her foot again. She walks totally normal now!!

09/09/2023

It’s time to introduce you to Sawyer! A Great Pyrenees who came to us covered in burrs, ticks, mats, and dirt, but 3 hours at the groomer changed all of that! She is absolutely perfect with the other animals here and loves to follow us around the land and help out with feedings. She is incredibly laid back and sweet so she would love to meet you some day soon!

03/07/2023

We have taken in a few special needs babies lately. This little one (our first guinea!) was being given away for free on a local Facebook group due to the way he/she hatched. This condition is a direct result of the incubator not being the right humidity/temperature. They have a crossbeak and their right eye did not develop. Katie had to step in and scoop this tiny babe up- everyone in the comment section suggested culling. We don’t have a name yet but they are so very determined, precious, and seem to be really into parkour 🤣

22/05/2023

The animals had such a wonderful time getting attention, snacks, and loved on. Thank you to everyone who came out!! It means so much to us ❤️❤️

14/02/2023

It’s Fox’s 4th Valentine’s day with us! It’s a common misconceprion that Cornish crosses (the breed of chickens raised for meat) can’t live past 6-8 weeks of age - the time they’re slaughtered. But logically, it takes this breed of hens around 6 months to lay eggs, so that couldn’t possibly be true. With a restricted diet they can live long, happy, active lives. We have a flock of 6 cornishes who are all 3.5 years old and living their best lives.

We love you, Fox! ❤️🤍

14/02/2023

Please enjoy this cute video of Titan responding to his name 🥰

And yes, that’s hangry pig and peacock noises in the background.

21/01/2023

Liberty update! She walks so well that she no longer limps. She’s been slowly integrating with her soon-to-be flock and today was their first time together without fencing between them. All of her wounds have now healed. A true miracle. We can’t thank Dr. Julie Burge and her staff at Burge Bird Services enough! 🤍🤍

Here she is enjoying the sunshine earlier today with one of her big sisters (2021 Kaporos rescue), Wander!

02/01/2023

2022 wrap up! It was a year of wins, love, and losses - like every year in rescue! We rescued over 150 animals and adopted 50 of them who now call this their home.

Wishing you all blessings in 2023 🥂

24/11/2022

What a Thanksgiving miracle- on Monday this angel fell off a transport truck (taking her and hundreds of other young chickens to the slaughterhouse) and into the hands of a good samaritan. Luckily for her, this person happened to be vegan and reached out to a local vegan Facebook group. The members assembled and reached out to us. It truly took a village to get this babe to safety. Within hours she was here and was given much needed pain meds. The following morning she saw our avian vet who got her into emergency surgery and mended her broken tibia, broken wing, and 6 inch gash above her thigh exposing her muscle.

This is Liberty. She’s around 10 weeks old and she was the only lucky one to take a tumble; she’s got a long road of recovery ahead, but that fall literally saved her life. Members of that same Facebook group also graciously donated to Liberty’s surgery bill. We can’t thank everyone enough for the teamwork to get her to safety. We are damn glad she was spared from being someone’s meal. Welcome home, lucky Liberty 💛💛💛

21/11/2022

Welcome, little Reason 🖤🖤🖤 Katie reached out to a small hatchery in Wichita inquiring about cornish cross chicks. While none of those were injured, sick, or otherwise considered “unsellable,” there was this little cutie with severe curly toe paralysis. It’s caused by a riboflavin deficiency. The hatchery owner didn’t know what to do with her and didn’t have the heart to cull her. Fast forward, now she’s here!

She’s already seen our avian vet who thinks it might or might not get better by giving extra vitamins. If all goes well, after her quarantine is over, she will be introduced to Halo, our crossbeak hen. Fingers crossed they bond with one another!

03/09/2022

Welcome Levett, Quest, and Summit 🧡🧡🧡

This tiny roo trio came from Topeka- their previous family ordered them as chicks online as “straight run” and they all turned out to be boys… in an area that doesn’t allow roosters. They found us through a bird rescue since their family wanted them to land in a safe place and here they are!

They are incredibly friendly and sweet, and fit right in. Welcome to your forever home, boys.

27/08/2022

Would you look at this tiny babe? We were blessed with our third crossbeak today- within 24 hours Katie got a rescue request and now they’re here from Oklahoma! Welcome, Nova! Nova is a 3 week old turken silkie/barred rock mix. The previous caretakers hatched them and saw that their crossbeak was already progressing, knew they couldn’t care for Nova long-term, and also had health ailments of their own.

My goodness is this little one already sweet and cuddly. Nova follows Katie around and cries when she leaves the room. Can’t wait to introduce Nova to their forever flock soon!

30/07/2022

Happy Saturday!

18/07/2022

Trying to keep up with all the new lovelies we’ve gotten this year!

These seven beautiful ladies came to us all the way from Georgia! A sweet high school student reached out to us after she learned her teacher taking care of the hens wasn’t giving them enough water in the summer months. Before graduation, she reached out to sanctuaries to find them a safe, forever home and here they landed!

They’ve very much integrated with our flock but still primarily stay together and sleep together each night, except for Tarte, who decided she will have different sleeping buddies. They are so friendly and it is clear they were loved and handled often. It was such a breath of fresh air to get new friends who didn’t need rescued back to health!! Say hello to Wednesday, Tarte, Sundae, Soirée, Jupiter, Chai and Rebbel

18/07/2022

Another crossbeak joined our family! Meet Halo! Halo and Rise instantly bonded and are practically inseparable. Halo is every bit as sweet and social as Rise, but definitely lets you know when she isn’t feeling something and is a little less needy than Rise 😂

Halo’s special beak literally saved her life! Her first family realized her beak was keeping her from getting as much food or growing as quickly as her flock so they separated her. Shortly after separation, she went to her foster home and her remaining flock got exposed to something that ended up taking their lives.

We are so glad Halo is here today and that our girls have one another to explore the world together 🖤🖤🖤

14/05/2022

We can’t wait to see you today! Text Katie or Stephen for the address if you need it!

10/04/2022

Chick and duckling “season” at farm stores is in full swing. These ducklings came here when two young women purchased them simply because they were cute. They quickly realized they grow fast and have a lot of needs. Their parents reached out to rehome them here; their backup option was releasing them on a public pond.

Chicks and ducklings ARE adorable but they are individuals requiring specific care and protection. Often unwanted adult ducks and chickens are dumped and do not make it long because they do not have the same instincts or way to get away from predators as wild breeds do.

These littles are safe - we wish that were the case for all dumped domestic birds!

10/04/2022

This is our sweet Rise!! She came to us at 7 weeks old after her previous family wasn’t up for the challenge of caring for her. Rise is the absolute sweetest little love bug. She’s full of sass and opinions but will cuddle in your lap or on your shoulder for a nap and start purring! She is special needs as she hatched with a cross beak- it is a genetic condition that can shift until 6 months of age. It’s difficult for her to pick food up and has to eat her food soaked in water which is why her food gets all over! She is gaining weight each day despite her unique beak 🖤🖤 We love her so!!

29/03/2022

We have some fosters in the house! This is Pip- he was found as a stray in Wichita and was being held at a kill shelter. Katie picked him up the day before his euthanasia date. He has frostbite on his comb and foot but is in good spirits, eats and drinks well, and gets along fine on one leg. He has the most darling little crow. Blueberries and mealworms are a favorite snack and he sings a song each time his food gets refilled. He will be with us until mid April then will go to his forever home in St Louis where he will meet his new flock family of young hens ❤️❤️

01/03/2022

Primm would like to tell you how much she’s enjoying the 70 degree weather!!

21/02/2022

Look at our residents featured in this post 💕 How many familiar faces can you spot??

11/02/2022

Spoiling everyone with snacks today before the weather turns on us!

29/01/2022

8 little ladies joined us on Jan 3rd. They came from a large backyard egg operation. Because some had minor respiratory illness symptoms, they wanted to cull the entire flock. The farm chose not to treat the flock with medication because there would have been an egg withdrawal period, meaning they couldn’t sell the eggs for a few weeks. Even backyard, free range, local eggs aren’t as ethical as they seem. Sheriee and I found homes for around 100 of the 600 hens, rather than them becoming “soup” as the Craigslist post suggested.

Meet Sterling, Joana, Madrid, Noble, Indie, Gemini, Primm, & Prix. Primm, the small white silkie, was the worst off- she was sneezing, had discharge from her eyes and nostrils, had hardly any feathers, and wouldn’t eat or drink. She has made tremendous progress after giving her the care and antibiotics she desperately needed!

🤍🤍

03/01/2022

What a year! With 2021 in the books, we wanted to brighten your news feed and share each life that made their way to their forever home with us: 22 chickens, 3 geese, 2 kittens, 2 peacocks, and a duck!! Update soon with our first 2022 rescues!!

What wins did you experience in 2021?

20/12/2021

Enjoying the sun 💛☀️

15/11/2021

Eden & Stevie’s first time trying pumpkin. These girls came to us last year right around this time and have always been pretty picky about snacks, but they decided it was a good day to give pumpkin a try.

Turkeys are such sweet, curious, docile, and social animals. Remember, it IS possible to enjoy the holiday season without turkey at the heart of the meal. If you want recipes, please reach out!

If you are able, here are some great organizations which to consider donating. Everything you give provides plant-based meals to those in need!

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/littlehillsanctuary

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livekindly.co/9-vegan-charities-holiday-donations/amp/