Minnow and Blossom's Place

Hi Everyone!
I hope you are all doing well. 💛 I wanted to let you know that we are going to take a little break from Instagram/Facebook. I’ve hit that point in the winter where the weather leaves me thoroughly exhausted and a bit depressed. 😔 I need to focus on caring for everyone here. I’m also a bit frustrated with social media.

Today I received a notification that our fundraising abilities on FB/IG were halted because I did not register our PayPal account with “PayPal Giving Fund”. We ARE indeed currently registered (see photos) and I’ve spent the day trying to get in touch with someone to see how this can be remedied. In the meantime, we have hundreds of dollars that YOU donated unable to reach our bank account. We have vet appointments on Thursday and those funds are important to us. It’s so frustrating!

The reality is, these social media platforms do not exist to help charities or to create healthy forums for connection. Their sole purpose is to make money for themselves. For many months I have felt captive to the whims of some crazy algorithm, just hoping we will reach our friends and community. Many years ago this felt like a very different place. I absolutely love and adore you and the friendships we’ve formed. Your support has helped to make Minnow and Blossom’s Place possible. I do not want to lose you!

I want to take some time to see if I can figure out a way to foster and grow our community in a way that is healthy and fun and enriching for all of us - and not because we are beholden to mega social media companies that are only interested in capitalizing off of our connections. Earlier this year I created a Patreon account and I am going to refocus my energy there (you do not have to pay to see our posts). I will do my best to post this week… if I don’t, please forgive me. Exhaustion has taken its toll…

I hope I don’t come across as ungrateful or rude. I love you all and want to connect with you. 💛 I’m just frustrated and in need of a little break.

With love,
Abbie

Hi Everyone! 💛
Lumi had her toe amputated last Friday. She came home the same day which was wonderful for all of us, especially Figgy who really missed her!

Today I changed Lumi’s bandage and the incision looks great. I would have taken a picture (because I know you all enjoy a good wound pic as much as I do 😂) but removing her old bandage caused a little bleeding so I wanted to get her foot wrapped asap. 🩸🩹❤️‍🩹

This morning Figgy and Otto took a field trip to Ruby, Simon and Basil’s outdoor enclosure and they had so much fun that I’ve let them stay on. Hooray for ! Lumi stayed with Cece and Minnow in the house. I think Lumi really misses Figgy and Minnow senses it so she is keeping her company. 🤗 Figgy will come in soon and they will be reunited!

We hope you are all doing well! Thank you, all, for supporting us in various ways these last weeks and months. You help make this possible. 💖 I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we are through with surgeries and big vet bills for a while… though now I’ve probably jinxed things! 🤭

Love,
Abbie

This afternoon Cloud and I picked up our Thanksgiving meal in Harpers Ferry, WV! Everything looks so good and it’s all plant-based. 🌱

Kelley Farm Kitchen is one of my favorite restaurants and it’s super close. If you live in the DC Metro area, I highly recommend a trip to Harpers Ferry for a hike at the National Park and then a meal at KFK! (Or, skip the hike and just eat! 😂)

We are bringing mashed potatoes, creamy horseradish carrots, man n’ cheese, lentil loaf and an apple pie to our gathering tomorrow. What are your favorite holiday dishes?

Hi Everyone,

Our family grew again! We have welcomed another little guy rescued by ! His name is Otto!

Otto had one of his toes amputated before arriving at Minnow and Blossom’s Place. We are providing continuing care while his wound heals. Otto has an appointment with our vet next week along with Lumi. 👩‍⚕️🩺🐓❤️‍🩹

Lumi suffered a broken toe and a wound in the same area that resulted in osteomyelitis (infection in the bone). This is very painful and challenging to treat. It’s possible she will need her toe amputated as well. We’ll get a sense of how she is healing next week. I expect that both Lumi and Otto will need to have radiographs done as part of their exams. 🩻

The last months have drained our financial resources and we need some help replenishing the medical funds. We weren’t planning on adding another chicken with special care needs, but some circumstances changed in Otto’s first home and we wanted to help him out!

Asking for donations is about the hardest part of running a sanctuary. It makes me want to jump out my skin, run and hide and cry all at the same time! 😵‍💫 But, this isn’t about me, it’s about them… so, if you are able to help at all, I would be incredibly grateful. 💓🙏💓

We have a lot to figure out over the next months… will our five Cornie roosters get along?? So far, Ruby, Simon and Basil are the sweetest band of brothers. Will they be open to Figgy and Otto joining them?! I hope!!!🤞🙏 Stay tuned for updates!!

Lots of love to all of you! 💛
~Abbie

Today my family woke up, excited for the day. The sun rose over the mountain. The chickens and turkeys reveled in the chance to forage in a yard transformed by fallen leaves… the dogs did their zoomies while I sipped my coffee and cried for all the pain in this world. Then Minnow came over and licked my salty face. Jenny joined us. We all have the ability to choose love and kindness. No one can take that away from us, EVER.

We love you. 💛

Lily is our pumpkin carving supervisor! She says everyone is working hard and the pumpkins will be ready for Halloween tomorrow! 🎃

I really really miss him. 💔

This morning I tried to reject the presence of a new day, but the sun defied me and the chickens sounded their morning salute (with a tinge of displeasure for my lackluster start).

Thomas was part of us. He was family and now we have a hole that all we can do is learn to live with. Blah. 😕

Last Saturday we welcomed two new family members. It’s so strange to be consumed by grief and at the same time, open my heart to two new beautiful beings… they are still babies - with fuzzies on their head and sweet peeps that announce their place in this world. 🐥🐥How does one live in two places at once?

I will introduce you to them soon. For now, I need to hold this space for Thomas. 💖 I miss you buddy.

Thank you everyone for your kind words. They really really help. 🙏💛

Hi Everyone,

This morning we lost Thomas. My heart is shattered in pieces. 💔

About three weeks ago I posted that Thomas stopped eating, but then started to regain his appetite. I was hopeful that it was related to the antibiotic he was on, but I have to say, that day, in the pit of my stomach, a worry started to grow…

Last Wednesday Thomas went in for a recheck with his veterinarian. His incision had finally healed, but he had lost some weight. We stopped his antibiotic and his appetite increased. I felt slightly relieved, but I couldn’t shake my worry…

Yesterday around noon, I looked at Thomas and he was completely pale. I pulled up a photo from the day before and then one from five days before and instantly called his vet clinic for an appointment. I drove him in first thing this morning. Thomas crashed while his vet was drawing blood and couldn’t be revived.

I don’t really know what else to say. I’m still in shock and devastated and my heart hurts so much for Thomas. After his surgery he instantly seemed more comfortable and I saw a full and beautiful life waiting for him. He was given an incredible opportunity to have a custom cart and a prosthetic created just for him. Tomorrow we would have gone to the fitting. Sometimes life feels so cruel…

Thomas, thank you for coming into my life. There is no way to put into words how much I love you. You came to me at a time when I felt hopeless and was sinking in depression. You helped me reconnect with a purpose and you showed me how to find my inner strength. You are kindness and light and hope. I’ll always hold you in my heart and I hope the piece of my heart that is yours is with you always. 💛 …continued in comments

Simon and Basil are best friends. 👯‍♂️ They spend their days together with Ruby and at night they come inside and snuggle up for bed together. When everyone is out foraging, Ruby likes to hang with the ladies, but Simon and Basil stick together like peas in a pod. 🫛

Simon was rescued by last year and Basil fell off a truck in Salisbury, MD a few months later. I just adore our rooster flocks and if you are at all interested in starting your one, I’m always happy to share our experiences. We currently have 6 roosters and are looking forward to welcoming two more thanks to the amazing work of . Visit their account for more information about adopting a rooster or two or ten! 🥰🐓💓🐓♥️

When Saffy died, my heart hurt so much for Cece. At night, she would cuddle up to him. Saffy accepted everyone. 😌

Cece is significantly smaller than the other Cornish Cross ladies (I call her my bantam Cornish Cross 😂) and they pick on her. She has never fully integrated with them, though she does fine foraging outside with them. At night, she was sleeping in the room where Saffy slept. It’s also where Simon and Basil cuddle up with each other. 😴

Cece has been a bit lost without Saffy. She started showing interest in sleeping with the rest of the Cornie ladies though and last night she decided to venture up to their sleeping spot! I was so proud of her!! 🎉 She settled in without too much fuss from the others (swipe for the video). I know Cece wants to be part of the gang and I hope this gives her some more confidence… and validation of her important place in this family! 🥰

Go Cece!! 🦸‍♀️🐓💖

Thomas has turned a corner in the last couple days!! He’s off all but one of his pain meds (comparable to Advil 2x a day) and he is sleeping comfortably through the night! 💤 This sweet boy lived most of his life in pain, but now, I think he is finally finding relief and his whole life is ahead of him! ❤️‍🩹

Next week Thomas will have a recheck with his vet and hopefully get his sutures out! Then, he has an appointment a week later with a specialist who makes devices to help give animals their mobility back (we’ll share more when we can)! 🤞

I’m going to be totally honest with you. This summer I wound up in a really deep depression… I felt I was failing the animals I was supposed to be fighting for… it feels selfish to even talk about it, but I think it’s important to acknowledge it… and also to share how hope-filled I feel to see that together, we can fight for a little rooster to have a good life! There’s still a long road ahead, but we’re moving forward… thank you for all of your help. 🙏😌♥️

Lots of love from all of us! 💛💛💛

Thomas went in for his first recheck today! His incision is healing and he even got his stitches out… and then he promptly busted the wound open (just a little) and got some new stitches! 😂 He has been such an amazing trooper. Nighttime can be a little hard… Thomas really wants to get out of his cart and out of the sling, and I don’t blame him. Once his incision is fully healed he can get himself comfy in a bed. Until then, I have been sleeping next to him in the sling, which seems to help. He’s also on some good pain medication. 🙌 I wish I could explain to Thomas that on the other side of this lies more freedom and a good life… that’s the plan and we are sticking with it!! ❤️‍🩹

Today my photo app sent me a picture of Grit… it was about 2 years ago that I picked him up in Georgia. And Saffy’s ashes came home today… 😔

I’m not gonna lie… none of this is easy, but it’s also everything my heart wants to do. Chickens are amazing souls and they have taught me so much. I just hope I am doing right by them.

Sending you all lots of love. 💛
~Abbie

Hi Everyone! 💛 This is Thomas and he is the newest member of our Minnow and Blossom’s Place family! Thomas is a Freedom Ranger rooster who is about 6 months old. He comes from a local farm where they raise chickens and other animals for meat. When Thomas was a young chick, he was accidentally dropped and suffered an injury to his left leg. The family thought it was broken. One of the kids got attached to Thomas and so the family held on to him. My friend , who brought Jenny into our lives, found out about Thomas and advocated for him. She is the reason he is with us. 🙏♥️

Thomas is doing well with slings for sleeping and using Grit’s wheelchair now that I’ve adjusted it for him. Grit taught me so much about taking care of chicken people who have mobility challenges. 😌

As of right now, we are starting to plan for surgery to amputate Thomas’s hurt leg. It turns out he has a slipped tendon and not a broken bone. Unfortunately a surgery to repair the slipped tendon is not a reasonable option (the likelihood of it failing is almost 100%). His leg causes him pain and discomfort so we need to do something… and with that said, I think it’s important to state that I am constantly evaluating Thomas’s quality of life. He is a fighter and we will do everything we can to give him a good life, but we will not make him suffer or live a life that doesn’t let him do his important chicken things. 💖

If you would like to contribute to help with our vet bills, we would be incredibly grateful. 🙏 I am currently at the veterinary clinic with both Thomas and Junie Junebug and our bill will be a hefty one today. I’ll update you on Junie in our next post. Veterinary care is expensive and equally important!Chickens are people too and they deserve the same care that anyone else should get! 🩺🩻🐓❤️‍🩹

Hi Everyone! 💛

I know it’s been a long time since we posted. Everyone here is doing well. We made it through the summer months! 🥵 Admittedly, my posts stopped because I was simply overwhelmed, physically and emotionally. Yesterday the humidity and the temps abated and I feel my body and my brain sighing with relief… perhaps all is not lost… and now it’s time to pick up the pieces. I think this picture of Lily going through her molt is fitting for the theme of this post: begone old and bedraggled feathers and welcome new ones! 🪶

Speaking of new, our family has a new chicken! His name is Thomas and he is a Freedom Ranger rooster who was rescued from a local farm who raises chickens for meat. Thomas has a leg injury and we are working with our amazing vets to help him. I will share him with you in our next post!

How are you doing? I hope you had a wonderful summer! 🤗💓♥️

Love,
Abbie and all of us at Minnow and Blossom’s Place

Hi Everyone! 💛 A few weeks ago I shared a video of Buttercup’s bumblefoot treatment. I thought I would follow up with a picture of Butt Butt’s very adorable tootsie (2nd picture) and the wonderful healing progress she has made! 👏

Butt Butt had Grade 4 out of 5 bumblefoot! This means she had a pretty large abscess on her foot pad. After a soak last week, the scab fell off revealing healthy tissue underneath! What a relief to see the abscess has cleared! 😅 We will keep Butt Butt’s foot wrapped and padded for the foreseeable future since she struggles with chronic bumblefoot - Cornish Cross chickens are especially susceptible due to their larger size. ❤️‍🩹

And, we have more encouraging news! ☺️ After getting Buttercup’s bloodwork results, I consulted with another vet who suggested she may have a secondary infection going on. 🤒 We started her on antibiotics and Butt Butt’s comb color has improved! She also has more energy! It’s wonderful to see her feeling well and looking well! I am soaking up snuggle time and spoiling her as much as possible! 🥰

I hope to share a post about veterinary care for chickens and turkeys on Patreon and I’ll be sure to let you know when that goes up! In the meantime, we send lots of love from all of us! 🤗💓♥️

Hi Everyone! I’m sorry to be so slow to post. It continues to be extremely hot and humid! It takes so much energy just to get through the day! 🥵 The chickens have a nice, air conditioned space to stay cool and they are making good use of it! ☺️

Last week I shared that Buttercup’s bloodwork results were back with some notable findings. 📈 I’ve since been able to get some information from Buttercup’s vet and from colleagues within the farmed animal sanctuary community. Buttercup has a virus called Avian Leukosis. 🦠 There is no treatment for Avian Leukosis and it typically leads to cancer. The good news is that Buttercup is not currently severely ill and her bloodwork does not show any signs of leukemia, which is one of the cancers Avian Leukosis can cause. Some chickens develop tumors on their organs and we could do further imaging - a CT scan - to get a better sense if this is happening in Buttercup’s case. 🩻 The reality is that anesthesia is incredibly risky and even if we find that Buttercup has tumors growing, there isn’t anything we could do about them. For the moment, we will proactively start a pain management regimen and adjust doses as necessary. ❤️‍🩹

This news is obviously hard to get and at first I felt devastated for Butt Butt. Now that I’ve had some time to research and talk to experts, I feel hopeful that she has many wonderful days still ahead of her. ☀️ And, the reality is, all any of us truly has is this current moment… so that’s what we will focus on! ✨

While it’s hot Buttercup is staying inside. 🏠 We want to relieve as many stressors as possible on her body. Butt Butt has had a ton of energy since making this change and while she does tend to go to bed early, she has been active around the house during the day (she hangs out with Saffy and Cece who are also house chickens)! And, her appetite is great! 🥰 The other good news is that Buttercup’s bumblefoot has cleared up and her foot pad looks the best it has in months! 💃 So yes, hard news, but we are committed to finding all the silver linings and making the most of everyday! ✨🐓✨

Sending love to all of you! 💛

Hi Everyone, 💛 Last week Buttercup went to the vet for an exam and bloodwork and I promised to share the results with you when they came in. 📊

We have a holiday in the US this week and the vet hasn’t been in for the last couple days. I did however, get a copy of Butt Butt’s bloodwork results. I think it’s important to discuss the results with the vet first, but I wanted to let you know that her PCR test indicates that she does NOT have leukocytozoonosis (the disease caused by the blood parasite that the turkeys get). The results do seem to shed some light on her symptoms. I’d be lying if I said I’m not concerned, but I also tend to get carried away… so a conversation with the vet is in order!

Buttercup is hanging out inside today. It’s hot and muggy and I just want her comfortable! Her sisters are hanging out with her. ☺️ And Minnow too, of course!

We are all sending lots of love… and wishes for blueberries and watermelon for all!! 🫐🍉♥️