Quarterly Update: April to June 2025

Three years in, and we’re still answering the question "Why chickens?" It comes in variations, but always leads back to the idea that chickens aren't seen as animals worth rescuing. That's why our mission changed from just focusing on rescuing animals.

The question also led us to publish this blog on how sanctuaries make an impact far beyond just the individual lives (that we love very dearly) we rescue, but help change minds & hearts, inspiring compassion. Behind the scenes, our board has been working on our strategic development. We were one of only two dozen animal advocacy organizations worldwide selected to participate in the 2025 Strategic Planning for Animal Activism course. We’ve been working on defining our vision, programs, and much, much more. We can't wait to see what's to come, but for now, we hope you enjoy reading how we've made an impact in the first half of the year.

Thank you for your support and for being by our side.

Liz & Craig Wheeler

Co-Founders of Secondhand Stories

Chicken Care

When we last left off, Mocha was egg-bound. Luckily, with the help of calcium injections, warm Epsom salt baths, a couple of lube enemas, and a life-saving implant, Mocha passed both stuck eggs and bounced right back to her perfect self.

Unfortunately, soon after, we unexpectedly had to say goodbye to our sweet Potato who tested positive for Marek’s Disease. Having just said goodbye to Henry, Ellie & Penny earlier in the year, this loss hit hard. It gave both Craig and me a temporary pause to consider whether we could continue to endure the unwavering loss of saying goodbye to the chickens we saw as our children. 

But through seeing Ari fully integrated with Ezra & Gunta, and then being able to welcome Bubba to our family, we were reminded of why the pain is worth it. We get to provide the sweetest, funniest, most incredible animals with a loving home. Bubba reminded us every morning with her loud squawks how important she was and how we could never ever give up because it would mean we wouldn’t have gotten to experience the joy she brings into our lives. While Bubba is now integrated in with Ezra, Gunta & Ari, she still makes sure to chat with us when we hang out with their flock. And speaking of their flock, Gunta celebrated her 6th birthday!

PLUS! Thanks to incredible volunteers, we were able to finally clean up the small veggie garden near the chicken coops and plant some amazing veggies.

In early June, Rolo developed bumblefoot on his balancing toe. Despite vet intervention and treatment, his nail and part of his toe self-amputated. We introduced laser therapy to the chickens' treatment rotation, providing an additional option for reducing inflammation. However, since Rolo’s toe issue, he’s not been able to fight off an infection in his foot and will be having surgery on Thursday. We need to raise approximately $3,250 for his major procedure, so if you can donate, we’d be extremely thankful. And, of course, we’ll be sure to keep everyone updated!

BONUS: See the chickens enjoy their watermelon margaritas on a warm summer day!

Etta, Olive & Sophie don't have sponsors yet!

Did you know that when you sponsor a chicken by making a monthly donation, you get to join The Kind Friends Club? This includes a custom sponsorship packet mailed to you, a private tour, and our quarterly updates exclusive for Monthly Donors.

Advocacy & Education

Advocacy

• We shared humane eggless alternatives on social media and our newsletter.

• We launched our Surprelorin Implant survey for sanctuaries across Canada 

• Biggest of all is that we created a detailed evidence-backed 17-page report and fiercely advocated against Smiths Falls introducing a backyard chicken bylaw with no protections for chickens. We presented at a town council meeting and shared our insight with multiple media outlets, including CTV News, CFRA, Hometown News, MyFM, and more!

Education

• We celebrated International Respect for Chickens Day with an educational tour for members of the Kind Friends Club.

• We’re now on YouTube Shorts and TikTok, sharing our chickens' unique personalities with the world so they, too, can see how deserving of love and care every chicken is!

• Liz spoke with Anitha Rao-Robinson on the Kindness is Everything podcast and discussed some of the issues associated with hatching backyard chickens.

• We published a blog on Biosecurity, explaining why and how we protect the chickens.

• We received a grant to develop a formal humane education sanctuary program, and we have a rough first draft prepared and some amazing volunteers helping out!

Finances (2025 so far)

In 2025, we budgeted $45,000 for expenses. Having a few years to reflect on the sanctuary's needs, we've been able to calculate more accurate estimates of our needs. In the first half of the year, we’ve had $20,312.75 in costs, broken down into the following categories:

Medical

The majority of our medical expenses thus far have, sadly, been end-of-life care for Henry, Ellie, Penny, and Potato. From vet exams to bloodwork to medications, cremation, and post-mortem testing, the costs added up quickly. Ari, Alma, and Mocha received implants. Then there were the exams and treatments: Mocha for her stuck eggs, Rolo and Hershey for their bumblefoot, Oscar and Daisy for feather loss, and Bubba's intake exam.

Animal Care

This includes the chickens' basic food needs, bedding, and supplements. It also accounts for a new air filter for chickens who need to stay in our spare bedroom (in the winter the window couldn't be kept open and with bedding for Penny & Ellie it got very dusty), playhouses for the chickens (sponsored purchases), enrichment treats & toys, nesting pads and more.

Operations

This year, we combined our operations, marketing, events, and fulfillment categories. This includes fees for our donation software, form and processing fees, banking fees, merchandise costs for resale (i.e., magnets, t-shirts), website & marketing Plans, a new banner for events, 32 Auctions platform fee, food & water/ice for volunteer days, tabling fees for events, postage & printing costs. Note: $210 was also sent to the winner of the 50/50 lucky squares fundraiser.

Infrastructure

The majority of our sheltering costs have been for materials for the medical isolation coop & run. We've also purchased magnets for finding metal around runs (to pick up any lost screws, staples), and rented a rototiller for our chicken's veggie garden refresh.

How You Can Help!

Here are some incredible ways you can uplift our work: 

• Get tickets to our Open House on August 30th.

• Volunteer to help out with animal care at the sanctuary.

• Grab a Ways to Replace Eggs magnet or a 5x7 print from our shop.

• Send a chicken a gift from our wishlist.

• Subscribe to our email newsletter to stay in the loop.