September 2013
Dear Humans, Elephants and Birds,
I just learned of 3000 old (about 2 years) caged laying hens that were saved from going to a soup company after their most productive time was over. Chickens are treated more poorly than most animals. Their beaks are cut off by half to stop them from pecking each other in their tiny confined cages and they never walk or do anything that "normal happy" chickens do until they are sent to a soup company to be hung up and killed. These were lucky birds and will be able to live out their lives in several farm sanctuaries who were able to take them. I used to get called by a factory chicken farm nearby here to rescue some of the chickens when they were ready to go. The owner's kids were in my class and he knew how I felt about animals. It was a daunting task, trying to rehabilitate these chickens who had never known any kind of freedom. They had to learn to eat and drink and I had to "manicure" their nails which were at least 2 inches long from never walking either. Often I was successful and they lived for quite some time. The number I was able to save, or the few thousand saved here, is a miniscule amount compared to the millions and millions that are raised in this horrible way, but every life counts and we did what we could do. There are some countries where this type of factory farming is illegal. Unfortunately for the chickens, the US is not one of them.
We have just returned from Cape Cod where we saw a really good whale watch with some spectacular breaching behaviors performed by humpback whales. If you have not gone there you should treat yourself. It is a wonderful experience.
Our big pet bird show is coming up soon; October 13th to be exact. There has been some questioning of the selling of birds at our show. I am not completely in favor of ever selling parrots because of how many are in need of homes that were already bought and no longer wanted. However, here at the show, we try to only get good, small breeders who are, hopefully, humane and caring. We also, given the venue, can help people make educated choices about getting a parrot before making a purchase. We also have offered parrot rescues a chance to display their birds that are for adoption. We are, as I have said 100 times before, FOR THE BIRDS, not the pet industry.
Please bring your own birds and enter them in our "friendly" judging. The more birds we get and the more species we represent really adds to the quality of our show. I do a talk on every species that we display, from the point of its plight in the wild state and how it fares as a pet. I can teach more if we have more. Come and win a prize for your bird. We have many categories and they are all fun to win. All birds that come to the show are given a cursory vet check before they can be entered into the show. Dr' Stein has always done this for us.
We have the veterinarian that took over Dr. Stein's business in Monticello, coming to speak to us in October, and to tell us what he has done with birds and what he will continue to do. We have a spectacular eagle program, from the Eagle Institute, in November.
Be well, all you elephants, humans and birds. I look forward to seeing everyone at our meeting and at the show. Let Matt know what you can do to help.
Got to go now and feed my birds, chickens and. an elephant
With love,
Richie
I just learned of 3000 old (about 2 years) caged laying hens that were saved from going to a soup company after their most productive time was over. Chickens are treated more poorly than most animals. Their beaks are cut off by half to stop them from pecking each other in their tiny confined cages and they never walk or do anything that "normal happy" chickens do until they are sent to a soup company to be hung up and killed. These were lucky birds and will be able to live out their lives in several farm sanctuaries who were able to take them. I used to get called by a factory chicken farm nearby here to rescue some of the chickens when they were ready to go. The owner's kids were in my class and he knew how I felt about animals. It was a daunting task, trying to rehabilitate these chickens who had never known any kind of freedom. They had to learn to eat and drink and I had to "manicure" their nails which were at least 2 inches long from never walking either. Often I was successful and they lived for quite some time. The number I was able to save, or the few thousand saved here, is a miniscule amount compared to the millions and millions that are raised in this horrible way, but every life counts and we did what we could do. There are some countries where this type of factory farming is illegal. Unfortunately for the chickens, the US is not one of them.
We have just returned from Cape Cod where we saw a really good whale watch with some spectacular breaching behaviors performed by humpback whales. If you have not gone there you should treat yourself. It is a wonderful experience.
Our big pet bird show is coming up soon; October 13th to be exact. There has been some questioning of the selling of birds at our show. I am not completely in favor of ever selling parrots because of how many are in need of homes that were already bought and no longer wanted. However, here at the show, we try to only get good, small breeders who are, hopefully, humane and caring. We also, given the venue, can help people make educated choices about getting a parrot before making a purchase. We also have offered parrot rescues a chance to display their birds that are for adoption. We are, as I have said 100 times before, FOR THE BIRDS, not the pet industry.
Please bring your own birds and enter them in our "friendly" judging. The more birds we get and the more species we represent really adds to the quality of our show. I do a talk on every species that we display, from the point of its plight in the wild state and how it fares as a pet. I can teach more if we have more. Come and win a prize for your bird. We have many categories and they are all fun to win. All birds that come to the show are given a cursory vet check before they can be entered into the show. Dr' Stein has always done this for us.
We have the veterinarian that took over Dr. Stein's business in Monticello, coming to speak to us in October, and to tell us what he has done with birds and what he will continue to do. We have a spectacular eagle program, from the Eagle Institute, in November.
Be well, all you elephants, humans and birds. I look forward to seeing everyone at our meeting and at the show. Let Matt know what you can do to help.
Got to go now and feed my birds, chickens and. an elephant
With love,
Richie