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Quarterly Update: January to March 2026
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
The start of 2026 has been a whirlwind and we can hardly believe spring is already here. As we look back on the past three months, it's felt very much like a season of planting seeds. We've been making progress on our 2026 goals, with many underway! You may have noticed our website has been updated with a new section dedicated to learning. We also welcomed new animal care volunteers and a new board member, who have helped us work towards our mission.
Our mission is to inspire compassion for chickens through rescue, advocacy, and education.
We're more eager for what lies ahead than ever before. It will mean we can update the coops by adding new boarding, planting seeds for the chickens to enjoy more foraging opportunities, launching our new composting plans, and much, much more. But for now, we hope you'll enjoy reading all about what happened from January to March! Thank you for supporting Secondhand Stories. With all our gratitude,
Liz & Craig Wheeler
Co-Founders of Secondhand Stories
Chicken Care
The year started with a positive development: Ruthie, Emma, Daisy & Oats' butt feathers had fully grown in! For those of you who've been following their journey, it took FOREVER to get them out of the habit of eating feathers. Through constant access to ample food and extra high-protein treats, they knocked the bad habit and have fully relaxed and settled into their home here. Sadly, this spring Emma passed away from reproductive cancer. She was more than just one of the flock. Her first bedtime at the sanctuary, she chose to jump on me, immediately trusting me to protect her - instead of the perch (which is how I very quickly discovered she had mites). When she met her first watermelon slush, she dove headfirst (literally). We’re thankful for the opportunity to show Emma love, compassion, respect and dignity while she was with us.
At 6 years old, Snowflake came out of egg-laying retirement and so was implanted right away; Ari had a bit of a respiratory flare, but with a quick round of antibiotics, she was right as rain; and Gunta tacked a bout of coccidia with an anti-parasitic, leaving her with healthy poo once again!
Eggie gave us quite the scare when she developed a nasty case of salpingitis. This is usually deadly in chickens as it creeps up, and usually, by the time a chicken shows symptoms, it's too late. Eggie is a warrior, though. We quickly intervened, putting her on a strong course of antibiotics, and we are thrilled to share she's not only out of the woods but has bounced back to her wild child self! Go Eggie Go!
Snowflake & Rolo have been battling two separate ear infections (luckily not contagious!). The vet sent off some ear culture tests to identify the type of bacteria, so we know which antibiotic will be the most effective in treating the issue. Luckily, they've been such great sports about taking their medications. Each of them gets medication in their ear(s) twice daily, with bi-weekly cleanings. Both their ears seem much improved.
As most of you know, Mocha has been battling a series of reproductive issues. First with more stuck eggs, then with an infection, and now with what we've come to learn is a reproductive mass. We’ve been tube feeding her to ensure she gets enough nutrients, and she’s on four medications for pain control, infection, and fluid retention. We will continue to provide Mocha with all the care she deserves. We are carefully assessing her quality of life every step of the way to ensure she is not only surviving, but having a good life. As we publish this, today she enjoyed a day in the sun pecking around for bugs and dust bathing.
We were hoping Snowflake would integrate with Mocha and Oscar, but Mocha had other plans (such as chomping at her). When Mocha became unwell, and Oscar was left alone, we decided he could have a short-term stay with former flockmates Ruthie, Daisy & Oats. Snowy decided she wanted to join in, too. Sometimes it’s not what we plan, but the chickens choose their own family. We are so happy Snowflake has company! She’s been tucking herself into bed right beside Ruthie and is as happy as a little babe. She even joined in on the dust bathing puddle (bottom middle photo above).
Luckily, all this wasn't handled alone. We had a team of incredible volunteers helping us. Thank you so much to Carolyn, Cassandra, Christine, Julie, Maxx, Melissa, Moira, and Rain. You're the chickens' heroes!
Sponsor a chicken and join the The Kind Friends Club! This includes a custom sponsorship packet mailed to you, a private tour, and our quarterly updates exclusive just for Monthly Donors.
Advocacy & Education
Liz spoke on the Better For Animals podcast about what changes when people move beyond assumptions and begin to see chickens as sentient beings worthy of dignity and care.
We hosted three amazing movie nights, even receiving coverage in the Humm newsletter!
We're in phase two of our Suprelorin project, increasing access and affordability of implants for sanctuaries across Canada.
We updated our Operations Manual (stay tuned for the blog, coming up next week!)
Finances (2026 so far)
In 2026, we budgeted $47,000 for expenses. We’ve had $8,204.12 in expenses, broken down into the following categories:
Medical - $4,707 (57%)
Our medical expenses in 2026 have included exams, treatments and medications. Some of the most notable costs include implants for Snowflake (Jan), Suzie (Jan), Mocha (Feb & March), and Gunta (March). Emma's reproductive cancer treatment & end-of-life care, Mocha's treatment for her stuck eggs, Rolo & Snowflake's ear exams and treatment, and the various needs of Eggie, Gunta & Oscar.
Operations - $1,409 (18%)
Operations costs are unavoidable as our organization grows. While in a perfect world, every dollar would go towards the animals, the truth is that we need to invest funds into our governance and operations in order to move forward and have the exposure to be able to make the change we want to see. We hope you'll understand that as we break down our operation expenses for this quarter which include: website & marketing plans ($397.18), insurance ($119/mo), Corporation Canada's bylaw update costs ($200), Google business monthly fee ($41.48/mo), 32Auctions platform fee ($163 - this helps us raise over $3,000 in return fundraising), Volunteer Ottawa board recruitment event ($75), postage & printing, donor database fees & banking fees.
Animal Care - $718 (9%)
This includes the chickens' basic food needs, bedding, and supplements. It also accounts for enrichment treats & toys, nesting pads and more.
Events - $600 (18%)
New this year, we've signed up to sponsor VegOttawa Fest 2026. By supporting a fellow advocacy non-profit that already has a built-in audience, we can expand our own reach while investing in the vegan future we want to see.
Programs - $497(6%)
These costs are tied to our advocacy & education efforts. It includes Freedom of Information requests (to uncover Burnbrae Farms’ environmental wrongdoings), participant incentives for our Suprelorin project funded by our grant from the Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, and gift cards for our What The Flock Friday initiative funded by our grant from the Pollination Project!
Infrastructure - $190 (2%)
Infrastructure has been limited to a digital thermometer for the medical isolation coop, new carabiner clips for safety, unbreakable mirrors for a couple of the coops, as well as sand for the walkways to ensure the safety of the volunteers.
By The Numbers Recap
How You Can Help!
Here are some incredible ways you can uplift our work:
Subscribe to our email newsletter to stay in the loop.
Donate items to our Spring Online Auction. We're looking for new or like-new items to include in our next fundraiser.
Review us on Google to help expand our reach and listing.
Send a chicken a gift from our wishlist.
Volunteer to help out with animal care at the sanctuary.
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