By Ariana Huemer | Project Leader
A little over a month ago, I got an urgent message from a friend of a friend: A pair of hens had been abandoned inside a locked coop after their caretaker was evicted from a duplex in Oakland. When contacted about the hens, their former caretaker responded, “They are not good anyway because they don’t lay eggs anymore.”
A few calls and texts later, Snow White and Rose Red were on their way to Hen Harbor. Emaciated and threadbare though they appeared upon arrival, they immediately threw themselves into the tasks of dustbathing and tilling the soil in search of delicious grubs -- the hallmark signs of any normal hen behavior.
However, it soon became apparent that all was not well with the two hens. Rose Red was pale and anemic, but Snow White, in particular, had an odd, upright stance, more reminiscent of a penguin than a chicken. Over the next few days, her penguin-like posture only got worse.
Several trips to the vet and many tests later, a diagnosis began to take shape. First, we cured her enteritis with a course of antibiotics. Immediately she perked up and her appetite skyrocketed. But her increased vigor also triggered her reproductive tract into action, which brought with it its own set of problems. Her abdomen began filling up with fluid, full of egg material and bacteria. The condition: egg yolk perotinitis, coupled with a hernia of the abdominal wall.
We know from experience that egg yolk perotinitis is extremely common in domesticated laying hens, and that up to 90 percent of them will die from it (or another form of reproductive disease). Hormonal treatments are one of the only ways to successfully treat the condition, so Snow White has started these treatments as well.
Meanwhile, Snow White is recuperating with her (no-longer anemic) best mate Rose Red and several other special-needs hens -- Cleo the elderly arthritic hen, Pho the blind hen rescued from an industrial egg facility, and Sparkle Duck, the former school project hen who is learning to walk again -- in a special care area.
Since these girls will always be more fragile than the rest, we are looking forward to constructing their own "special needs" yard and coop away from the main barn, in a shaded area closer to the house, which they will be able to enjoy in a few months when the weather warms up. As they continue to recuperate, we are looking forward watching them relax in their own special area, apart from the rest of the boisterous flock come spring.
Making the commitment to bring an ailing neglected bird back to health is only posssilbe because of the support of compassionate community members who recognize that each rescued bird is an individual who deserves a peaceful place to retire after a liftetime of hardship and neglect. In addition to special recuperation areas, the cost of lifesaving veterinary intervention for each individual can easily run into the thousands for these complex, delicate birds who are struggling to overcome the genetic obstacles that the egg industry has bred into them for the sake of profit.
Constructing a yard for current and incoming special-needs birds, in addition to the ongoing care of 100+ other sanctuary birds, stands as a priority for funds raised.
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