Lancefield animal sanctuary Edgar’s Mission rescued 600 Silkie roosters on a farm based in northern Victoria this month after a business failure.
The roosters, left abandoned in wire cages, were kept in an ‘ammonia-riddled shed’.
Edgar’s Mission founder Pam Ahern said she ‘could not believe her ears’ when she first learned about the situation.
“If the tiny, barren wire cages weren’t cruel enough, the number of dead bodies, either in cages or littering the floor, most certainly was. There was filth and rodents everywhere,” she said.
“I challenge even the hardest of hearts to witness what we have seen and not be moved.
“One thing that struck us most when rescuing the birds was their sheer vulnerability. Yet we cannot relay what joy it brings to us today, seeing them all free.”
The last rooster that was rescued from its cage was finally freed on January 11.
“He must have watched us for days coming into the shed, removing his buddies one by one and never knowing what their fate was,” she said.
“Carrying him out of the shed and closing that door behind us for the last time was one of the greatest feelings I think I will ever have. Kindness honestly never felt so good.”
Edgar’s Mission has put the call out to people who can provide a home, noting that due to restrictions of many councils, roosters cannot be kept in suburban areas.
Edgar’s Mission can be contacted on 0408 397 301 or info@edgarsmission.org.au for those interested.
