This week we’re celebrating two special ladies! 

First up is Sophia, who has been helping out at the sanctuary for over a year now! In fact, she celebrated her one-year “sanctuversary” a few days ago. She’s a vital part of our team and is on track to become a large-animal vet! And even better news, Sophia will be employed at Lily’s Place for the summer thanks to a grant from NB SEED! 

Next up is Sunny, a wee senior hen who’s an impressive 8.5 years old now. I’ll tell you more about that in a minute, but first, this picture was taken last week when Sophia helped me take Sunny and some of her feathered friends on a road trip to see their friends at Tantramar Veterinary Hospital.

While this was Sophia’s first time escorting the senior hens to their health appointment, Sunny has been a regular patient at TVH since 2021 (the year Lily’s Place was moved to NB). 

Getting care for Sunny wasn’t always easy. When she first arrived at our place, she and her 4 friends were in rough shape. They were among the 50 hens who were released through an agreement with the farm when the birds were being sent for “processing” at just 18 months of age. Sunny is 1 out of 20k from that barn and 1 out of over 20 million “laying” hens processed each year in Canada. 

She’s a special little one-in-a-million lady, despite (or in spite of) the statistics.

The day Sunny arrived at Lily’s Place was the first time she experienced grass, sunshine, and the freedom to move around without bumping into any cage mates.

That week, our vet was out for the sheep and checked on Sunny, too. The vet noticed signs of thrush, a yeast-like fungus that grows in the mouth and throat. As a result, Sunny was on anti-fungal meds for a month. The meds cleared up the thrush, but Sunny still wasn’t recovering like the other birds, so she visited the vet in the office. 

Once there, Sunny had a thorough checkup, X-rays, and bloodwork done. The vet recommended that we move Sunny inside, where she would be warmer and away from the stress of being at the bottom of the pecking order. If you’ve seen the annual “Sunny on the couch” picture, this is where the tradition of sharing that picture started. 

But back to the story: right before leaving the exam room, Sunny made a specific movement that caught the vet’s expert eye and prompted her to investigate further. Turns out, the vet determined that Sunny had sciatic nerve damage either from her time at the factory farm or from being picked up by her legs before/during her release (widespread practice in commercial settings).

Thankfully, Sunny recovered after rest, medication, and time spent indoors over the winter. Broom Hilda came inside that winter to keep Sunny company. In the spring, the two friends rejoined the rest of the flock and have been happily living the sanctuary life ever since!

First photo: Sophia and Sunny last week.
Second photo: Sunny the day she arrived, almost 7 years ago.