SPONSOR a GAME BIRD
Sponsoring a game bird rescue is one of the best ways to support our ongoing work to provide a lifetime of care and love to abused and neglected farm animals.
Caring for farm animals can be expensive when you add up the costs of food, shelter, supplements, enrichment, bedding and other standard supplies. This does not include medications or veterinary visits. Your monthly donations will cover all of the basic necessities that each of our amazing animals need.
Sponsors will receive a full animal biography; photos, videos, and annual updates; and a cumulative year-end receipt for your tax-deductible donations.
Your sponsorship provides a steady stream of support and budget relief that allows West Place to continue welcoming needy animals to our sanctuary. We appreciate your help!
Chicken Rescues
In the early days of West Place, we did not rescue chickens due to space limitations (we only have so many buildings). Later, we figured out how our waterfowl could live with chickens and it was perfect for many years until 2021 when a tragic case of avian flu claimed the lives of all of our chickens and turkeys.
Now, we are building separate housing for game birds for so many reasons. They eat different food, have different housing requirements, and they are affected by things like avian flue in very different ways than our waterfowl. In order to help as many birds as possible, we need your help to construct a new Chicken House. Direct contributions can be made here.
You can sponsor one of our chickens for $20 a month, which provides them with grain, corn for foot health, monthly deworming and treats. In addition to these basics, we are always seeking funding for medications and vet visits.
We really wish schools would STOP hatching classroom eggs with no plan for what to do with the living, breathing hatchlings for the rest of their lives. We got a call from a concerned parent, who's child's school needed to place two two-week-old "hen" chicks. No other parent would help or get involved. We took them in and raised them at West Place but soon they started crowing . . .because they are both roosters and not hens! We love them dearly and have given them a great home. We spend time socializing Ivan and Willard (formerly Ivy and Willow) every day so they grow up to be a good boys.
Ivan
Willard
Willard came with the name Willow, but if you read the above story about Ivan you will see that we rescued two "hens" who turned out to be roosters. We love the boys but they do require extra care to keep them calm and gentle around our volunteers. Willard and Ivan are strikingly handsome, and thanks to our socialization and enrichment programs they are both polite and friendly towards people and other birds.
Poor Goldie was captured off the streets of Cranston, RI, after neighbors witnessed her get attacked by a cat. Her first day at West Place was very stressful. Goldie was missing a few feathers when she first came to us but otherwise looked healthy. As the day went on, she began open mouth breathing, which is never a good sign. We rushed her to the ER and several hours and several hundreds of dollars later, she was discharged. It seems all of the stress, sunburn, and malnutrition had caught up with Goldie. Thankfully, she made a full recovery and is now enjoying the completion of The Chicken House so she rules the roost.
Goldie
Jenny
Jenny is our little "forest chicken." No, it's not an official breed but one day, a couple on a hike saw this brave girl come running out of the woods. It is pure luck that she managed to survive. Because we were in a fallow period following the avian flu outbreak, Jenny had a lengthy quarantine period in several places before coming to us. She tested negative for the virus and was our first new chicken rescue in 2023. Since we didn't have a dedicated game bird building yet, she temporarily rented space from the peacocks.
Similar to Jenny, Francine was found wandering alone in the woods in a remote place in New Hampshire. The person who found her called us at 5:30 pm saying he could only bring her here the next morning. After some last minute arrangements, we welcomed our second "forest chicken!" She was covered in mites and received some intense treatment before joining the gang in the chicken house but now she is up and running with the rest of them!
Francine
Clementine & Mango
We lovingly refer to these hens as our "reality chickens" after rescuing them from an online tv show that purchased ten chickens for a comedy bit. The morning after the purchase the producers decided they weren't funny and reached out to us to surrender them. After learning about the abuse they suffered while on set, we raced over to save all ten. Because we didn't have to space to permanently house all ten, eight were adopted out to loving homes that we still keep in touch with. Mango (right) and Clementine (left) are our biggest girls but they found their spot comfortably in the flock!
Guinea Fowl Rescues
These hilarious little ones showed up in a neighborhood in Cranston much too close to the highway. They had no mom with them (meaning something happened to her), they were too young to live on their own and they would have been killed by a car or a coyote within a matter of days. We picked them up and put them through our quarantine procedures and they are now living with the peacocks while they wait for their own enclosure to be completed.
Turkey Rescues
Sponsor one of our super cool turkeys for $35 a month, which provides them with grain, corn for foot health, monthly deworming and treats. In addition to these basics, we are always seeking funding for medications and vet visits.
Ankara, or Ank, is our first rescue turkey since the avian flu outbreak of October 2022. As a juvenile, Ank was struck by a car in New York City and suffered a broken foot. After many weeks of physical therapy, Ank made the trip from NYC to West Place to continue his recovery. Although he is a wild turkey, Ank is a sweet and gentle boy who is enjoying his new life on the farm.
