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Today is International Respect for Chickens Day. We wish we could be with United Poultry Concerns as they demonstrate at the White House and leaflet the springtime visitors to Washington, DC. If you can’t join them, there are still things you can do today and through the month of May: Ideas include leafleting on . . . → Read More: Bird is the Word 
Blue came to the sanctuary from a domestic violence situation. He had been a loner but, last summer, began hanging out with me almost constantly, waking me on my mornings off by crowing on my doorstep. Today, Blue suddenly took off running for the field across the driveway. Why? . . . → Read More: Blue to the Rescue ACTION ALERT
The unfortunate fad known as the backyard bird phenomenon is moving in a predictable direction. People are throwing away roosters right and left (unwanted roosters). They are not caring for hens (hurting hens). And now, here come the profiteers wanting to rake in even more money off the . . . → Read More: ACTION ALERT: Tell Victory Chicken: Stop Exploiting Birds! I’ve written before about my skepticism concerning love as a motivator for animal rights work (or, for that matter, liberation work of any kind). Whenever I hear “I just love animals” in the course of a conversation about someone’s rescued dog, I immediately crouch down inside my brain and wait for them to mention . . . → Read More: Compassion, Empathy, and Rage: Some Thoughts from the Kaporos Protests After that last video, you’re ready for some happy chickens, yes? Well, you’re in luck, because one of the feral tree-sleeping hens here at VINE found herself a safe place to hatch a couple of chicks. They’ve been bowling us over with their cuteness ever since. So, here’s your chance to see something few . . . → Read More: Mother Hen and Chicks (video) In this video, viewers meet rescued Kapparot chickens, and VINE Sanctuary co-founder Miriam Jones discusses the experience of saving 29 baby birds from ritual torture. . . . → Read More: Kapparot Rescue 2012 
A new study published in Current Biology proves (as if more evidence were needed) that, in the words of zoologist Matthew Cobb, “humans aren’t quite so unique, after all.” The so-called news is that chimps will warn other chimps about a hazard if and only if the other chimps don’t already know about the . . . → Read More: Chimps, Chickens, and Communication Last time around, Miriam shared her reactions to the “news” that chickens feel empathy. Pattrice here, with a few more words on the subject of bird feelings, and the brains that generate them. My first reaction to the news story was a flood of memories. The sanctuary’s original site was on a country road . . . → Read More: More on Bird Brains… A short post today to share a short thought. As most of you know, we recently relocated the sanctuary here to Vermont, and are lucky enough to have five apple trees and two peach trees on the property (not to mention 30 years of gardening by a master gardener who has left us with . . . → Read More: Apples and Chickens |
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© 2013 VINE Sanctuary (formerly Eastern Shore Sanctuary) |
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Reflections on Feeding Kale to Chickens
I had an epiphany while feeding kale to chickens this morning.
Today dawned uncommonly warm after an uncommonly windy night. As I lugged water jugs to the foraging yards, I could hear the chickens rustling inside the coops, eager for the doors to open. They sensed and were ready to seize the sunshiny day.
. . . → Read More: Reflections on Feeding Kale to Chickens