February 27, 2025, is election day in Ontario, Canada. Secondhand Stories is located in the electoral district of Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston (051) , where, since the riding was established, the elected official has been a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. As a registered Canadian non-profit, we are legally required to remain non-partisan in our advocacy efforts. Our mission is not political but ethical: to inspire compassion for chickens through rescue, educatio

What is the value of a chicken? It's an important question to consider before trusting what you see shared on the internet. Unfortunately, nearly 1 billion chickens are killed annually for meat in Canada . This doesn't account for hens forced to live in egg farms their whole lives or the over 14 million who are exported alive. Because of this, chickens are often seen as commodities. Chicks can be purchased at farming stores for a toonie, and the number of unwanted chickens b

In 2025. we need to raise $44,580. Over half of that is funds to provide medical care for our flock. With 23 extraordinary chickens in our sanctuary family now, we've got a big year ahead of us. Not only are we preparing for their exams, meds, and implants - but we're also budgeting to create a bigger savings leeway this year. Part of growing as a responsible sanctuary is ensuring we have a "nest egg" that will be there if donations suddenly stop. For those who don't know

2024 was a pivotal year for the sanctuary. We made the difficult but necessary decision to say goodbye to the bookshop as we transitioned our focus exclusively to growing the sanctuary. With this change, we've rescued 12 more chickens and not only provided them with a loving forever home, but were able to advocate for the ones we've not been able to save. Your support throughout the year has allowed us to flourish and we can't wait for you to check out our 2024 Year In Revie

Rehoming a Chicken Secondhand Stories is at our capacity for compassionate care, and not able to accept any more rescues at this time. However, we would like to help how we can, so we have compiled this list of tips for rehoming chicken(s). Most requests we get are to accept surrendered roosters If a bylaw is preventing you from keeping your rooster please check out this link on how you can advocate to keep your chickens. If you have behaviour concerns, read this article on K

I’m on the train back from Toronto, reflecting on this weekend. Conferences are a rare opportunity to get away from the day-to-day grind and think bigger. What is my place in animal advocacy, and what inspires me? I had the humbling opportunity to speak about how farm sanctuaries are limited by charitable law. I dedicated my presentation to Maggie, my muse. As I spoke, no matter how frustrated I was at the system, I realized how passionate I am about this work. I want this ch

As we write this, we’re sitting outside with the chickens. Ellie is stretching his legs, wandering around on the grass while Penny is right behind him, foraging and chirping for his attention. Henry, Sophie, and Alma are having their promenade as well, and instead, they are choosing to dig around in the fallen leaves. We love this life we’ve been privileged enough to live, and it’s the greatest joy of our life. It’s been a difficult year, with so much loss sometimes, it feels

In the blink of an eye, summer arrived. Here at the sanctuary, that means longer days out in the sun and taking time to pause and enjoy the weather with the flocks. Leading up to the release of this quarterly update has been quite the whirlwind. We've handled more loss than we would ever hope for and spent more on medical bills than we ever thought we would have in four short months. Of course, we'd do it all again in a heartbeat, knowing we provided a life worth living for t

We were thrilled to welcome CTV News Ottawa to our sanctuary grounds this week to discuss backyard chickens. We wanted to share a behind-the-scenes peak at our interview and share information that didn't make the cut! Chickens can live up to 15 years old . Their breed plays a large role in the longevity of their life. For laying hens (hens that have been genetically modified to lay eggs at an alarming rate), most will pass away from reproductive complications before their fif

Ellie joined our family at only four months old. He was surrendered as a blind hen (surprise, he was a rooster!) because his flock mates had been picking on him. Over the past year, we’ve seen his personality blossom. We’ve learned his favourite things include stretching out in the hammock with us, listening to classical piano covers of Taylor Swift, and being whispered to (he purrs a trill-ing kind of chicken coo when we tell him he’s just a little baby). But one thing he do

When we launched the sanctuary, we knew we wanted to include transparency as a cornerstone of our rescue work. We both grew up in the city and worked most of our careers with non-profit organizations, witnessing all the “behind the scenes” aspects that make the gears turn. But oftentimes, the nitty gritty wasn't shared with the public. We wanted to prioritize sharing everything that makes our tiny but mighty sanctuary work. That’s why we’ve decided to share a quarterly update

Secondhand Stories is a registered non-profit chicken sanctuary founded in 2021. Located in Rideau Lakes, our mission is to provide a loving forever home to abandoned, abused and neglected chickens. Secondhand Stories was founded by partners Liz & Craig Wheeler, has no paid staff, and is 100% volunteer-run. As we continue to grow, we are building a founding board of directors. We're seeking resourceful leaders with the skills and energy to help guide the future of Secondhand

Chickens are complex individuals capable of emotions such as boredom . They experience joy when learning, recognize human faces, form bonds, and show empathy towards others. Chickens can even anticipate the future and demonstrate self-control. Part of Secondhand Stories' vision is to ensure residents have fulfilled and enriched experiences while living at the sanctuary. We view enrichment as a necessity for care, not as a bonus. This is especially true given our climate

Reproductive illness is the leading cause of death in egg-laying hens. The single best medical therapy option for mitigating this risk is by having a hen implanted, which decreases reproductive productivity in chickens, giving their bodies a much-needed break. A hormonal implant is inserted under the skin, slowly releasing the drug Deslorelin (brand name Suprelorin) which controls the secretion of other hormones involved in egg production, temporarily stopping the laying of e

Secondhand Stories provides a loving forever home to 17 rescued chickens, many of which have unique special needs. Our mission is to provide a loving, forever home to abandoned, abused, and neglected farmed animals. Our vision is to offer a life-long sanctuary where our rescued farmed animals can: live out their natural lives in peace; be free from exploitation and suffering; and have fulfilled and enriched experiences while living at the sanctuary. In order to continue provi