George the Rainforest Rooster

Dumped in the rainforest. Alive because somebody cared.

You can listen to me read this article by clicking play above.

Hello friends,

I’m sorry I haven’t emailed recently. There was plenty to share, but my husband, David, came down with a nasty case of Norovirus which knocked him for six.

For the last week David felt awful, had a fever and of course couldn’t help with the animals at all. So I ordered David into bed with Max the bunny as his nurse and I set to work getting all the chores done, including looking after the 15 animals we currently have on medications. What with caring for all the animals and caring for David I wasn’t getting to bed until 1am.

Max found it exhausting work being David’s nurse.

That’s the thing with running an animal rescue. It doesn’t matter what dramas come up in life, the animal care show must go on. And whilst I quite enjoyed feeling like a vet nurse as I applied cream to Kel’s comb for fowl pox, crop fed Gretel our elderly ex-battery hen and gave medications to Tess and Ginny the polish hens, there just wasn’t time for anything else, including writing a newsletter.

You know I have come to rely on sharing the news here as a way to deal with the world and to find people who care as much as I do so it has felt odd not sending an update these last couple of weeks.

David is feeling so much better now, thank goodness. So I finally had a chance to sit down and write to you this morning… Well that was the original plan, until I heard about a young rooster in Iluka, about an hour north of us, who needed help.

If you’ve been following along for a while, you know we are closed to new intakes for now until we get our finances in a better place and all our current residents in suitable enclosures. This is an important decision, but really hard to stick to.

It feels wrong not to be actively rescuing, but at the same time this break is essential to ensure we can keep rescuing long into the future.

Despite most of our contact channels being down, a kind woman named Gabby, who had been feeding this young rooster managed to get my number and contact me by phone and as soon as I saw a photo of him I knew I had to help.

This rooster, who I named George, had been dumped about three months ago and Gabby happened upon him whilst walking her dogs in the bush. She has been feeding him ever since. I hate to think what would’ve happened to him if she hadn’t cared. Apparently he was still quite small when he was first abandoned. I am amazed he has survived given the beautiful rainforest is full of goannas and other predators.

There was a small shack nearby built and occasionally inhabited by human teenagers. It served as their getaway from the adults where they could smoke and drink to their hearts content. Whilst it was covered in litter and hardly what you want to happen upon in the bush, the noise and busyness may have helped keep wild predators at bay.

I know some may think that because George has survived the last three months, he can survive the rest of his life as a rainforest rooster, but I don’t think so. We know from vast experience that things can go wrong very quickly. As I often say, an abandoned rooster may survive, but they will never thrive. And even surviving is not that easy.

It only takes one day, one dog or one goanna.

Gabby was so grateful I had come to rescue George. When I thanked her for caring for him, she said she did care, but that she wasn’t like me. She didn’t feel particularly attached to George but she wanted to do right by him. To me, that makes perfect sense. You don’t have to feel attached to an animal to do the right thing by them. You don’t have to love or even like animals to decide not to hurt them and to agree that they deserve to live a life free from harm.

And so we lugged my puppy pens through the bush and I set them up with some bird netting over the top and Gabby sprinkled some food inside. We heard George’s soft clucks before we saw him. Gabby spoke gently to him as she had done so many times before. And after patiently waiting for him to take cautious steps I closed the puppy pen doors behind him.

There was a slight struggle as I picked him up that made me happy the puppy pen was there as he tried to dodge me. But as I picked him up and kissed him on his handsome head, I told him he could relax now. He would be safe.

George, safe and sound, but alarmed by the rabbits

George has a very cool hair do and a bald neck. I think he may be a naked neck chicken which is a breed I have never rescued before. It was such a relief to place him in his carrier and in the car, safe and sound. I gave Gabby a hug and thanked her for caring.

By the time we were home, it was almost time to start getting the animals to bed. I wondered about skipping this newsletter again, but I think it is important to share how hectic things can be. So with everyone tucked up for the night and before I start the medicines, I decided I would write to you and show you our handsome George. He is quite scared of me and alarmed by the bunnies and CJ the rainbow lorikeet, but tomorrow I will sit with him quietly and give him a chance to take in his new surroundings.

I won’t blab on too much. But I must tell you briefly that my good friend Sarah spent a couple of days here last week. It was such a joy to see her after 3 years! And it was like we had never been apart. We spent a full day working in Baby and Aunty Nome’s enclosure.

If you ever wonder what to do with a friend, I highly recommend sprucing up a chicken enclosure together. A chance to get your body moving, get your hands in the soil and chat away in the company of animals. What could be better?

The enclosure went from a barren, boring grass patch to a fabulous adventure garden. The photos don’t do it justice just yet as all the plants have to be protected from the chickens who have a side hustle as part time plant excavators. But I can see the potential and it makes me so happy. I will share photos of it with you soon.

I can’t wait to rescue some more ex-battery hens to live in this garden with Baby and Aunty Nomes. That is my goal for as soon as we are financially stable.

Speaking of finances, we have had more vet bills with ex-parent farm hens Kel and Madge at the vets for reproductive issues. I wonder how many people who have bought backyard hens know that the parents of those birds are usually from factory farms?

Both girls are suffering the consequences of being selectively bred to lay too many eggs. I know I sound like a broken record, but it is the truth that this is the main health issue for hens and the main expense of running a hen rescue.

Apart from weight loss, one of Kel’s symptoms was that she decided she really doesn’t want to be around other chickens right now. I kept finding her perched in really high up places like precariously perched on a star picket. She was telling me very clearly that she was totally over the other chickens. So she has been living in the house with us. She doesn’t seem to mind being around humans. Hopefully her new suprelorin implant will help her feel more at ease soon.

Kel’s precarious perch

In happy news we have been approved for a grant to run our Tiny Sanctuary, Big Impact workshop in Melbourne!!! We haven’t set a date yet, but it will probably be around September/October. Keep an eye on the newsletter if you are interested in starting your own microsanctuary.

I really hope to see some of you there and find out about your animal rescue plans.

Thank you for standing by me and the animals when things get hectic.

I hope you all have a brilliant week ahead filled with fun, happiness and compassion.

Love Catherine x

P.S We have had a couple of very kind donations this week. If that was you, a great big thank you!!! Tax receipts will be sent out soon.