Minnow and Blossom's Place

Minnow and Blossom's Place An animal sanctuary specializing in the care of Cornish Cross chickens and Broad Breasted turkeys.

Hi Everyone, As always, I’m sorry for being out of touch. We have had a lot going on here. Sometimes life just gets the ...
06/04/2026

Hi Everyone,

As always, I’m sorry for being out of touch. We have had a lot going on here. Sometimes life just gets the best of me.

I do have some good news! 😊 Lumi is doing really well. I’m scared to write that, but I’ve also been having talks with myself about appreciating the good moments and not worrying about “angering the universe” by being happy when something is going well. ✨

Lumi is still on antibiotics and twice daily flushing for his right sinus. The infection is under control and he has very little discharge from his nare. The open pocket that our vet created during Lumi’s last surgery has mostly closed up, but I can still find a little opening under Lumi’s eye and this helps me flush further into his sinus cavity. I am so grateful that Lumi has gotten relief and is healthy for now. We’ll take each day as it comes. ✨

We have had many tough medical cases this year and most of them haven’t ended the way I hoped. The loses have taken their toll and I feel really worn down and a bit hopeless. I think it is important to focus on the fact that Lumi is still here fighting… ✨

I gave Lumi his name because of its connection to the word luminous and the Latin roots meaning “light”. Lumi has truly come to embody his name. ✨

I hope you are all finding moments of joy and light in your lives. 💛

Much love,
Abbie and the entire MBP family

Mavis 💛Last August we welcomed the sweetest, dearest chicken into our family. When our friend asked if we might have ro...
05/19/2026

Mavis 💛

Last August we welcomed the sweetest, dearest chicken into our family. When our friend asked if we might have room for a little hen with suspected slipped tendons, I just couldn’t say no (never mind that we had taken in four turkeys, two, Dutchess and Little Snood who arrived days before). Everyone here adored her instantly, especially Paddington.

She became Mavis. Middle name Toast given by Gabby.

At Mavis’ first vet appointment we learned that she didn’t have slipped tendons. Her vet suspected some kind of genetic disorder… I honestly didn’t really understand. I just took her home and we loved her. Paddington became her BFF and then her boyfriend (possibly some consent issues there.. 😬). All you need to know: he was devoted to her.

Mavis lost more and more mobility. Her tendons contracted. We kept loving her. She never really ate well and eventually I started tube feeding her. In the end the only thing she ate on her own was the inside of an Amy’s Vegan pizza crust (the super soft inner makings). I tube fed Mavis four times a day and then every night we ate pizza in bed… every night until last night. She slept next to my pillow in her own ”Princess and the Pea” bed.

This morning after we got up and I had fed Mavis, I noticed she was having trouble breathing. I gave her oxygen and called for an appointment… I tricked myself. She had an upper respiratory infection. But I knew. For a few hours I just needed to believe we’d be coming home with antibiotics.

Mavis didn’t come home because the paralysis that had been taking over her body was beginning to affect her air sacs and her ability to breathe.

“You don’t have to make the decision today.” But I did. Because I couldn’t let this life take another single thing from Mavis. She deserved so much more than what her body could give her. So we set her free of it.

I’m sitting in bed with Paddington, both of us missing our Mavis. 💔

I don’t know what else to say. She was a little piece of heaven and I loved every minute of life here on earth with her.

05/07/2026

Interpret as you wish! 😉

Much love from Lily and all of us at MBP 💛

Last week Little Snood gave me a good scare. I noticed her color was pale, she started open mouth breathing and she was ...
04/30/2026

Last week Little Snood gave me a good scare. I noticed her color was pale, she started open mouth breathing and she was drooping her wings. My first concern was that Little Snood was showing symptoms of heart disease. I made an appointment with her vet and in the few days between scheduling her appointment and getting in, she seemed to be going downhill quickly. I started to feel increasingly panicked…

During a moment of calm, I found myself back in my thinking 🧠 and suddenly all of Little Snood’s symptoms looked very familiar… exactly how Blossom presented when she got sick. I was pretty confident that Little Snood had contracted the leukocytozoon parasite.

Little Snood’s vet had the same thoughts about the likely cause of her symptoms. 👩‍⚕️ We have not ruled out a heart condition, but more testing would come with some risk because Little Snood would need to be anesthetized. So, we are moving forward with treatment for leukocytozoonosis and I am seeing obvious improvement. 😮‍💨

After losing Waldo at the beginning of the year, we invested in an oxygen concentrator and chamber. Large breed chickens and turkeys are more prone to heart conditions and we have had a number of cases in the past where a family member could have benefited from oxygen. Leukocytozoonosis reduces the blood’s O2 carrying capacity. So, Little Snood spent an entire day in the O2 chamber and then she slept in it for 3 nights.

Little Snood is still showing a few symptoms, but treatment seems to be working and I’m no longer in panic mode! I hate that we have to deal with this horrible parasite. I struggle with the idea of having turkeys here and also that we lost Bloss, Olive, Rosie, Ellie and Bea before figuring out a treatment. But, that is life… If there is one thing that everyone here has taught me, it is to never give up. Even when the universe seems to be saying otherwise.

*in the first picture, Cece had joined Little Snood in the O2 chamber when I opened it up in the morning 😌

Thank you for all the love and support you share with us. You are very much part of the whisper I hear, “Never, never, never give up!” 💛

Hey Everyone! I’m sorry we’ve been a bit out of touch. Last week turned into a bit of a dumpster fire! 🔥 I’m finally cat...
04/29/2026

Hey Everyone! I’m sorry we’ve been a bit out of touch. Last week turned into a bit of a dumpster fire! 🔥 I’m finally catching my breath today. 😅

Last Tuesday night I sniffed Lumi’s nare and caught a whiff of infection again. 😩 By Wednesday afternoon Lumi was in to see his vet. Unfortunately this is a really challenging infection… but, his amazing vet had one more card up her sleeve! She was able to take him right into surgery where she debulked the infection again and then created a little pocket with an opening. This makes flushing his nostril much more effective. Lumi came home on Thursday and he is recovering well! Lumi gets daily flushing which involves me holding him with his head tilted downward while I sq**rt a saline solution in his nare and incision. I think it helps that Lumi knows he will get a treat afterward but still, he has been a champ about this. I’m so proud of him… he has been through so much. 🐓

Lumi’s vet bills are adding up and we are in pretty desperate need of some funds. I really hate this part of running a sanctuary, but we need to do some fundraising… if you are able to contribute, we could use the help! 🙏

There is still more dumpster fire news to share so I will try to post more tomorrow! 😂 Until then, much love from me and all of us at MBP! 💛

Hi Everyone! 💛Lumi’s CT scan revealed extensive infection in his right sinus. On Friday his vet performed surgery to deb...
04/06/2026

Hi Everyone! 💛
Lumi’s CT scan revealed extensive infection in his right sinus. On Friday his vet performed surgery to debulk the infection. The good news is that Lumi bounced back from surgery and he seems to be feeling really good! 🎉 For now he is staying quiet in his own space, but hopefully he will be back with his friends in about a week (once his incision is healed up). Lumi is on antibiotics and getting daily nasal flushes. Due to the extensive nature of the infection, this will likely be a chronic condition for Lumi, but I am hopeful that we can stay on top of it and keep him in good health. Lumi’s brother Figgy needs him… we all do!! 💞

Thank you for all of your love and support for Lumi!

Much love from all of us at MBP!! 💓♥️💓

03/31/2026

Hey Everyone!

Lumi and I are back to see his vet. 👩‍⚕️ A couple weeks ago Lumi went in for an abscess in his right nare (a birds nostril). Lumi’s wonderful vet was able to remove the abscess with some sedation and flush the area. We went home with antibiotics, hopeful the problem was resolved. Unfortunately, the infection is back. 😩 Today Lumi is having a CT scan done so that his vet can get a better sense of where this infection is stemming from. He will likely then need to have surgery so that his vet can access the infection source and debride it, though we will know more once we get results from the CT scan. We are also culturing the tissue in his nare so that we can get him on the best antibiotic to treat the infection. My poor little guy! ❤️‍🩹

Lumi is having his CT scan done as I am typing up this caption. He’s under anesthesia for the scan and this comes with risks. So, first hurdle is getting through that safely. ✨🤞✨

I will keep you updated!!

Much love from me, Lumi and all of us at MBP
💛💛💛

03/12/2026

Mavis went to the vet for a check up yesterday and Paddington was very concerned when I loaded her up!

Since Mavis is not mobile, she needs extra care and veterinary attention. I’m happy to report she had a great visit with our vet! Lumi, one of our Cornish Cross roosters also had an appointment. I’ll share more about his visit in our next post. (Spoiler alert - he is hopefully on the mend now!) ❤️‍🩹

02/26/2026

Hi Everyone,

I know I say this so often, I’m sorry we have been quiet. We have had a lot of sick kiddos in need of care…

Dutchess is one of the kindest and gentlest souls I have ever known. She lived her life on a magical farm in Vermont filled with friends and adventures and two humans, David and Sofia, who loved her deeply. Last August, Dutchess and Little Snood came to live with us when her humans made a move due to life changes and couldn’t bring their animal family. By then, Dutchess and Little Snood were 6yrs old. For a broad breasted turkey, that is a long life. I hoped that we could give them more.

A couple weeks ago, Dutchess told me she was tired. In the time she was with us, she endured surgery on her foot and treatment for osteomyelitis. She also had very severe arthritis. Dutchess could no longer walk and lost the ability to stand on her own. In her wheelchair though, she was strong enough to bulldoze her sister and run her over. ☺️

In the last weeks, Dutchess started plucking her feathers and I knew something was wrong. We went back to her vet and added a third pain medication to her regimen. When things got worse instead of better, I knew I had to help Dutchess be free of her earthly body. I really struggled to make this decision and selfishly spent some days in denial of what was best for her. If we could just get to Spring… things would be better… but ultimately, I knew that wasn’t going to happen.

I fell in love with Dutchess and Little Snood even before I met them in person. It has been a joy and an honor to have them both here, though I often feel guilty that I can’t give them the beautiful space and adventurous life that they had in their previous home. The loss of Dutchess leaves a big hole and we are trying to surround Little Snood with love and companionship - she has always had her sister and this is another enormous loss for her. Cece has become a sweet little friend for her. 💕

I needed a lot of support to help Dutchess and I am grateful for the incredible love and kindness and generosity that came our way from all of you. There are just so many of you to thank. 🙏

Much love and gratitude,
Abbie and the entire MBP family 💛

01/28/2026

Thank you to the chickens for getting all the snow off my boots! ❄️ I think of them as my land-based 😆

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Bluemont, VA
20135

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