Help Fabulous Farm Sanctuaries (a second chance at life)
Farm sanctuaries (not the same as ‘city farms’) are where abused and neglected animals live the rest of their lives in peace, taken care of by dedicated volunteers, often on shoestring budgets. Sometimes they even take in animals from farmers who can’t cope anymore with sending them off to slaughter, and are ‘safe havens’ to drop them off for happy lives!
Farmed animals have legal rights. Most farmers welcome a friendly word. Or if no joy, you can report concerns.
In the USA, one rescued chicken at Farm Sanctuary loves music. But ‘marches off in disgust’, if visitors sing to her out-of-tune!
Simple ways to help farm sanctuaries
- Type ‘farm sanctuary’ at Find That Charity to bring up a list (add your county to find local ones).
- Donate anonymously through Charities Aid Foundation (add Gift Aid if you’re a taxpayer).
- Buy little gifts (like mugs, totes and t-shirts to support them)
- Add the charity as your cause at easyfundraising. Then anytime you buy from a participating shop or service, it donates at no cost to you (loyalty points are not affected).
- Many sanctuaries have a ‘wish list’ of goods like animal feed, bedding materials, unscented cleaning products and veterinary supplies. Some also need old newspapers and blankets/towels (no tassels).
- Volunteer (not just cleaning and feeding, but donate skills like building or graphic design). from animal care skills to cleaning, feeding and building).
Many plants are toxic to livestock and equines, including yew, oak (and conkers), sycamore, privet, laurel, bukthorn and holly). As are many to hens:
- Avocado, chocolate and caffeine, alcohol
- Mouldy food and anything rotten
- Salty or sugary junk
- Raw dried beans
- Green potato skins
- Onion and garlic in large amounts
- Xylitol (sweetener)
Hazards around the garden include loose string, rubber bands, rat bait, slug pellets, dirty standing water, and plants like foxglove and yew. Chickens investigate with their beaks.
Many sanctuaries also sometimes have other animals around, so learn also about pet-safe gardening (again conkers are also not safe).
A few lovely farm sanctuaries to support
- Baah-land has over 100 happy residents, run on a shoestring budget by dedicated volunteers.
- Surge Sanctuary is set in 18 acres. Residents include lambs saved from becoming Easter lunch, pigs rescued from abattoirs and animals rescued from building sites. Supported by London’s Unity Diner.
- The Farm Animal Sanctuary was established nearly 40 years ago, when the founder saw sick diseased animals for sale at a livestock market. It costs £2500 a day to run (its patron is Joanna Lumley).
- Goodheart Sanctuaries gives home to over 300 rescued animals in 92 acres of rolling countryside between Worcestershire/Shropshire. The sanctuary also has two large pools for waterfowl.
- The Farm Animal Sanctuary has one pig found by workers on the M42 (likely fallen off a trailer en-route to an illegal abattoir).
- Goodheart Sanctuaries is home to over 300 animals in 92 acres of rolling countryside, with two large pools for rescued waterfowl.
- Hillfields Animal Sanctuary offers refuge for 300 animals, who live out their days free from fear, neglect or cruelty.
Open Sanctuary (free welfare guides for farmers & sanctuaries)
Whether you run a farm sanctuary (or are a farmer wishing to find good info on welfare), The Open Sanctuary Project is a website to find care guides by species, all given by experts. There is even a translation of this site in Arabic.
Also read up on how to start a micro sanctuary.
There are over 500 articles including how to care for:
- Alpacas
- Chickens
- Cows
- Donkeys
- Ducks
- Geese
- Goats
- Horses
- Llamas
- Parrots
- Pigs
- Rabbits
- Sheep
- Turkeys
- Additional species (fish, emus, ostriches, peafowl)
The project was started by a couple who opened a sanctuary for farmed animals. And found it difficult to find good trustworthy information online.
Knowing how many other sanctuaries there are around the world (plus of course millions of animals on farms), they decided to collate knowledge with experts (and a resident artist) to make the information good-to-go, and publish it for free (with updates).
MudControl (turn mud into safe places)
MudControl is the premier brand used by farmers and equestrians, to turn muddy dangerous land into safe places to pass through, or eat hay. They are used with sand for easy installation.
Very important info for animal safety
Read the FAQ page, as it’s very important these slabs are used properly, to keep animals safe. They are designed to be the sub-base and base in one, so NEED A GOOD LAYER OF TOPPING if used for animal traffic.
The texture should be like roughened concrete, so animals don’t lose their footing. They suggest quarried sand as the topping on clay soul, or other types are mentioned, but nothing slimy that could slip. Remember animals moving on an off will carry mud onto the slabs.
It’s very important to follow the advice to avoid animals walking on bare slabs. You can buy bulk sand from their recommended suppliers, which should last a long time and improve drainage.
Contact the company for advice. This is a reputable company who have experts to answer any questions.
