FAQ

We have chickens from many different situations. Some have been abandoned or were surrendered by their owners, while others have been adopted (Montreal SPCA) or transferred from other sanctuaries (Big Sky & Contented Clucks). We've also stepped in to accept a chicken rescued from abuse. You can read their profiles here!

We wrote a blog post you can read here, but the TLDR is that we feed the chickens their eggs! The chickens need them, and we don’t. Every time one of our girls lays an egg, she also loses about 2 mg of calcium stored in her bones. Laying hens are prone to weak or broken bones, osteoporosis, and sometimes even paralysis. The lack of calcium is also very dangerous in weakening their eggs' shells. The easiest way to replenish that calcium is to crush the eggshells and feed them to the hens! Eggs are also high in protein (but humans can get more nutrient-dense protein from tofu, almonds, and black beans), and because feathers are mostly made up of protein, they must have enough in their diet.

Secondhand Stories gets thousands of requests each year to rehome chickens. Sadly, we are at capacity and cannot accept any more rescues at this time. However, we always want to help however we can. Here are some tips for rehoming your chicken: Post in your neighbourhood and local Facebook chicken groups like Backyard Chickens of Ontario - Rehoming Resource, Rehoming Roosters in Ontario, 613 Chickens, Chickens Ontario, Backyard Chickens Ontario, Backyard Chickens of Ontario, amongst others. Post on National Facebook groups like Farm Animals Needing Adoption (FANA) and Farm Sanctuary's Farm Animal Adoption Network. Make an adoption flyer that can be posted at your local feed store. Clotofil Sanctuary has an excellent list of suggestions for choosing an adopter. If your inquiry is due to a resolvable issue (ability to secure veterinary care, behaviour concerns), please share more details with us so we can attempt to keep your chicken at home. You can e-mail us at liz@secondhandstories.ca

No way! Most roosters get a bad reputation because they're not socialized enough. We have 9 incredible roosters at the sanctuary, and their personalities range from climbing into your lap and mauling you with affection to preferring to do their own thing. Ezra, seen below, is our biggest rooster and our biggest baby. He might be five years old, but he's been loved his whole life, and it shows. He is always eager to jump into our laps, nuzzle up close, and get "the good scratches" under the wing. With proper attention, roosters can flourish into loving and gentle souls.

We'd love that! We welcome folks to the sanctuary between April and October each year. Check out our tours page for more information.

We can always use an extra set of hands! Check out our volunteer page for more details!

So you want to help, more?! You're the best. Gift something to the chickens from our Amazon Wishlist. Review us on Google to help expand our reach and listing. Ask your employer to host their next volunteer day at our sanctuary. Join our Facebook Consignment Group. Have a business? Sell your items on our Marketplace

Sadly, as a registered non-profit (and not a registered charity) we are unable to provide tax receipts for donations. We hope to become an established charity in the future, so make sure to stay tuned!

A lot of people ask if we'll expand to other farmed animals, like pigs and goats. However, in our short two years of operations thus far, we've learned that chickens need our help the most. They're the animals farmed in the largest quantity (excluding fish), and we see thousands of requests a year to rehome chickens. This year, we'll be working towards preparing a spare coop as a useable isolation / medical wing coop. We also plan to up our advocacy game, posting more informative blogs and launching a social media campaign to share insightful information on chickens. Finally, we're working hard to expand our volunteer team! You can also check out our 2024 Plans Blog for more details!