Hi! I’m Didgey! I grew up as an education animal for children and the elderly. I sometimes forget I’m an emu and the minute a human walks by me, I’ll plop down and wait to scratches! Or maybe that’s what most emus want?! Be careful! While I’m super friendly I also love shiny things! I will definitely try to peck those earrings right out of your ear, but so far have only gotten one :)

Hi! I am one of the Broad Breasted White Turkeys that lives at Animal Nation. I am one of the survivors of a neglect and cruelty case in Fairfield County where 60 other turkeys were rescued. We were all bred, raised and overfed to eventually become meat at just 14-18 weeks old. But here I am, several years later, living my best life.

Hi! I’m Jerry! I was a stray living in the streets of Yorktown until I found myself a random chicken coop in someones backyard. I, like most male turkeys, gain my respect by protecting the farm. Some humans say I attack them, but really I’m just keeping the rest of the birds safe. My first friends at the sanctuary were the Guinea Hens, but they turned on me and after Animal Nation spent over $500 in bloodwork and x-rays, my diagnosis was strictly depression. I now live behind the fence with the misfit birds and spend my day watching over the females and special needs flock. You can find me waiting for you at the gate. Enter if you dare.

Hi! I’m one of nearly 60 Pekin Ducks who calls Animal Nation home. Me and my friends come from all different situations — neglect & abuse cases, being dumped outside in random ponds, saved from meat markets, hatched in classrooms with no plans for where I’d end up… the list goes on and on. I am sold at local feed stores like Tractor Supply as cute little chicks, but people don’t like me as much once I’m big and grown. Because I am bred and raised to become meat, my body has a hard time staying healthy and mobile. But with proper housing, enrichment, and diet, me and my friends can live a happy, long life. We are usually slaughtered by 7 weeks, but we get the chance to live several years here at Animal Nation!

Hi! I was rescued from a neglect and abuse case in Rockland County, NY along with Luna the goat and several other birds. My feet are permanently deformed because I was forced to stand on unstable ground with piles of poop and on the dead bodies of my friends. When Animal Nation arrived to rescue me, I had no food, no water, no shelter, I was emaciated, and had frostbite. Now I am the king of the handicap coop where I finally get to live in peace!

I also represent the hundreds of calls Animal Nation receives about unwanted roosters. Many town codes don’t allow humans to keep us as pets so we’re often seen as disposable. We are left on the streets, sold to meat markets, or forced to wear crow collars that cut off our airways. We wish people would think twice about hatching eggs because we’re bound to end up being born and then displaced. There are just not enough safe homes and sanctuaries to keep us safe :(

Hi! We’re two of the several hens who live at Animal Nation. We arrive here from all different backgrounds including neglect & abuse cases, being dumped outside, saved from meat markets, slaughter trucks, and egg hatcheries, hatched in classrooms with no plans for where we’d end up, and even from backyard chicken owners who no longer want us because we’re not laying eggs anymore. We are often rescued with our beaks cut off because we are forced to live in such tight, packed environments, sick, emaciated, and with foot infections. When given space, love, nutrition, and vet care, we thrive.