Sunday, October 18, 2009

Can you help chickens at the animal shelter?

When looking to add to your urban chicken flock, there are many places besides the feed and fuel store where you can find a new hen including Craigslist, the local chicken group's listserv, and... the animal shelter!

Yes, chickens wind up at the animal shelter just like any other kind of animal, but it's not usually the first place people think to look. For a small adoption fee, you can spare these chickens from an untimely demise and add a new bird to your flock.

Here in the Bay Area, there are several chickens available right now (shelter names are linked to the respective web sites for follow-up):

At the Oakland Animal Shelter:
5 Sebright Bantam Hens
1 Sebright Bantam Rooster
1 Crested Polish Hen
1 Crested Polish Rooster

San Francisco Animal Care & Control:
3 teenager chicks
1 teenager hen
1 Chinese Silkie Hen

SPCA for Monterey County:
4 Hens
9 Roosters

If you think you can afford to house one more chicken, please consider reaching out to help those whose time is running out at a shelter near you.

A big thanks to Anne M, a volunteer at the Oakland Animal Shelter, for her helpful reminder and for the photos of the chickens available in Oakland in this post.

14 comments:

Tamidon said...

In the New England area please go check out MSPCA Nevins Farm Rescue to adopt abandoned chickens

Amri Valencia said...

Of course, there might be a reason for them being there, such as disease, so be careful when adopting! The chickens could be old, too.

Ulrike said...

The Animal Rescue League in Des Moines, IA has chickens on occasion. http://www.arl-iowa.org/aspx/generalcontent.aspx?pid=1

Ulrike said...

Out of curiosity, I checked Petfinder.com. Chickens are listed under "birds". They also have categories for ducks and guinea fowl.

GSmith said...

If you are thinking of adopting chickens you will need to have a chicken coop. There are many types and designs out there so do your research. Building a coop is a lot less expensive than buying one already made or even a pre-made kit. You can build a simple coop with common materials, by using household tools. For chicken coop plans you can visit this site:
Building a backyard chicken coop is a great way to get fresh eggs daily. It is pretty simple to build a basic chicken coop. You can build one using common materials and everyday tools. You can buy a pre-built kit (more expensive) or build you own. There are several designs and plans to choose from:
http://buildchickencoopz.com

eyecontact said...

Thank you for a great post. I had no idea we could get chickens at the places you all mention here! I guess we should have new hens checked by a bird vet before adopting?
My doctor told me he has just one hen now. I'll tell him to watch for flock additions even though it's almost winter. I think his one hen must be lonely.

We have 8 hens now. The pullets are laying cute little eggs! Happy Halloween, everyone!

Tamidon said...

chickens,and all animals at rescues, usually have already been checked by a vet and quarantined for a period of time. No need to do it again unless you're paranoid

Holly said...

most of the chickens at OAS are actually very young - they get dropped off by people who bought chicks thinking they were cute, and then didn't want to/couldn't take the time to care for them properly once they got full-zized. Several of them were also rescued from a "religious" group that was planning on sacrificing them and therefore was keeping them without feeding or watering them. I volunteer there and get to hear a lot of the stories of where they come from. If you're interested in them, ask one of the bunny volunteers there; we spend lots of time with the chickens as they are housed in the same room and share the patio during the day.

Holly said...

oh, and make sure your city allows you to keep chickens before deciding to take one home.

eyecontact said...

Holly, I just want to say thank you for helping our little friends in compromised conditions. Bless you!

Anonymous said...

We adopted a new hen from the Santa Cruz animal shelter a couple of weeks ago. They people were very excited to have a chicken find a new home and it felt good to rescue rather than purchase.

Unknown said...

Update from the Oakland shelter: the 5 Golden Sebright Bantam hens have been adopted! They still have 1 Golden Sebright Bantam rooster & the Polish Crested hen & rooster available.

Anonymous said...

I live in the Bay Area and had no idea these options were available! Thanks for posting this information.

Tamidon said...

I just adopted 3 hens from MSPCA Nevins...so sweet, wish I could ahve taken them all.

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