Pine Hollow Farm Animal Sanctuary

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Wales, MA
Pine Hollow Farm Animal Sanctuary

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We are a 501c3 nonprofit farm animal sanctuary dedicated to rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming

11/01/2026

A few of my favorite Fall pictures of our beautiful babies 🍂

10/30/2026

Over a year of patience for moments like these 🩷

Two sweet girls basking in the beautiful Fall afternoon sunshine, napping peacefully together. Such a special moment to capture 🥹

10/28/2026

If this looks crazy, it’s because I am crazy and proud of it too! 🤪

I have spent the last few years learning SO much about the Cornish breed and making accommodations for them when they become immobile. Even our healthy friends have heavy chests and can easily develop pressure sores. This breed is meant to be slaughtered at 8-10 weeks of age, and our sanctuary, along with many others, have made it our mission to prove and show you that these birds deserve so much more. They make excellent pets, have the sweetest personalities and can absolutely thrive with the right care.

Elsa is now moving closer to her third year of life, an incredible feat for a bird her size and breed. Since March, Elsa has been battling an on/off joint infection in her knee that was the result of a pressure sore. She receives bandage changes every other day and honestly still waddles around just fine! She is able to reposition herself and I always find her in a new spot when I come out to the barn. When I tell you this bird is SO happy and has consistently beat the odds, that is not something to take lightly. She knows her name, loves her treats, loves her kids, dust bathing, preening and spending time with her flock (even though she is queen bee and bites them 😂). She is gentle, so tolerant of her bandage changes and has become a dear friend of mine since she keeps me company while I am working in the barn. She will never suffer a day in my care, and when it is time, she will tell me. And until that day, she is safe and protected, and most importantly comfortable.

I had a typical 10pm stroke of genius last night while coming up with a better way to provide a soft place for her to lay that won’t give her pressure sores. I have tried an incredible number of the typical options, and she is very resistant to the wheelchair. So here it is! A 7 point relief 3 inch twin mattress pad, cut into thirds and wrapped with waterproof baby crib mattress covers and sheets! OH MY are they loving this! Betty Lou was the first to settle and she is looking quite content! Since I have a few, they will be able to have one in their coop to sleep on, in their little barn space and outdoor run!

I will always move heaven and earth to keep my children and animals happy and comfortable 🥰

10/27/2026

Well isn’t this the most dapper looking group of gentlemen you have ever seen! 😍

Today our 3 boys, Cecil, Igor and Herman, were sheared!

“Why would you shear a sheep right before winter?!”

Well I’m here to tell you why! I have learned an incredible amount of interesting facts between other rescue friends, sheep owners and our sheep shearer! Sheep are actually significantly more comfortable being COLD than hot. Of course there are major extremes and wet weather will play a role as well, but generally they do better with a shorter fleece through the winter months rather than a mountain of wool surrounding them.

Sheep are homeothermic creatures, meaning they maintain their core body temperature regardless of the weather. In extreme heat, they cool by mobilizing blood flow and panting. A short fleece actually provides a barrier from the heat! In extreme cold, their muscles adjust to allow the wool to trap an insulating layer of air against their skin and their wool is water repellent.

A couple of other deciding factors specific to our herd! Herman is a geriatric dude. We originally thought he was much younger when he arrived at the sanctuary several years ago, but he quickly began showing signs of aging including arthritis. He has trouble moving up and down hills too quickly and waddles with a funny gait even without wool…now imagine adding those extra pounds and trying to freely move through inches of snow! Our other two boys are also showing signs of aging. They were all born and bred in New England, coming from a very long line of cold preferring sheep. Their breeds grow massive wool coats VERY quickly. Herman had extreme difficulty this Spring adjusting to heat waves before he was sheared. All 3 boys were miserable and really had difficulty cooling properly.

With all those fun facts, this was an easy decision to keep our boys happy and comfortable all Winter long and they will have significantly lighter coats for those random early Spring heat waves 🩵

10/22/2026

The sweetest girl trio at lunch today 🩷

10/13/2026

I wanted to take a moment to express gratitude to the little community I have worked so tirelessly to build over the last several years. Earlier this month, a very special friend and colleague so generously donated this amazing insulated cat house we had listed on our Amazon Wishlist, which is now being used in Charles’ coop for him and his ladies to forge through the brutal winter months ahead. They will soon be moving into our barn and their little house will travel with them to provide an added layer/barrier to tuck away on the cold days, with the ability to add a heat pad as needed.

Today, a wonderful person in our community generously donated a nearly-new cat condo which will be used to help manage our barn flocks this winter. I am still figuring out logistics around where everyone will post up for the cold months ahead, but this run is absolutely perfect to house our Cornish flock and will be much easier to shift our nearly immobile beautiful girl Elsa around to ensure she is happy and comfortable.

These may appear to be small gestures of kindness from our supporters, but they are appreciated beyond words and make an enormous difference in the comfort and lives of our geriatric animals. Most do not see the efforts I continuously make to help our community behind the scenes, rehoming countless animals over the last few years which often slips away unrecognized and unnoticed. Our mission is strong and inspiring to so many. It is certainly not for everyone. Outside of being a parent, this journey has been the absolute most rewarding, invaluable experience for me and exemplifies so many of the values I am so fortunate to teach my children firsthand: love, kindness, empathy and respect for all beings. Thank you so much to all of my biggest supporters, active, silent or somewhere in between. You have all helped shape this organization and remind me every day that it is completely possible to follow your passion and dreams without generating a profit. Sometimes you just do things to be a good person or help someone in need. The mundane essential tasks and daily care can be easily overlooked but keep us moving on a positive trajectory and every small mountain climbed adds up to moments like these. We are making a difference and I am honored to share our wins and the positive impact. Success is subjective for each organization and I define it by my own growth, the obstacles I have overcome, and the progress I continue to make.

A huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who continues to believe in this powerful mission and spread kindness ☮️🩷

09/26/2026

The sky was on fire last night and Monkey thought it was a beautiful sight to see 🩷

09/22/2026

Introducing: Mulan and Helga! 🐔

Their names are both symbolic warriors and they deserve that honor after surviving a very harsh first few weeks of life. These two babies will live out their lives here at the sanctuary. They have been adjusting so well and are still making the cutest chick peeps! Of course they have already associated me with food, but there diet is strict and controlled from day 1. Mulan also may be Mushu…her legs are thicker and s(he) is slightly larger. I have been wrong before, but if she is a roo, these are the nicest roos so I won’t be sad! 😂

09/20/2026

Happy Sunday to all! 🐥

I have an ask and I’m hoping our community can come together to help support us! 🩷 I try really hard to not ask for help, as I fully recognize the state of our economy and I am realistic. This is my one ask for the remainder of 2026!

Last winter was extremely difficult for many of our birds. We do not have average backyard flocks at our sanctuary. “Chickens are so hardy in harsh New England winters. They are fine as long as their coop is draft free.” No, not always. We have a primarily geriatric population, majority of our birds over the age of 10 years old. This is above lifespan for every breed. We also have breeds that are not cold hardy. In addition to advanced age, we also have varying levels of immobility and chronic lifetime illnesses we are always fighting to keep at bay. Our flocks are all Mycoplasma, Coryza and Marek’s positive. Fortunately, the frozen ground assists heavily with keeping the Marek’s virus dormant, but the other two respiratory illnesses can almost instantly spark a viral response when activated. For awareness, our flocks have an incredible number of risk factors the “average” flock does not have.

I lost SO much sleep over this last year, constantly working around the clock to keep everyone warm and immediately address any signs of illness or infection. We moved Charles and his ladies into our basement for the majority of the winter, but we are hopeful to explore other options this year. We simply cannot move all of our birds indoors and picking and choosing feels unfair. After lots of research, I believe one of the best options is a house inside of a house! Therefore, I would love to add an insulated/lined weatherproof dog house to the inside of each coop if possible with your help! Our two most vulnerable flocks are Charles + ladies and Elsa, Betty, HeiHei + babies. They will receive first dibs.

Can anyone help us out?! I have added several good options I found on Amazon to our wishlist, varying sizes and price points! We have unique needs with immobility issues so anything that opens from the top and is low to the ground for easy access is ideal. If you have the ability to donate funds instead of purchasing a whole house, that would also be amazing!!!

We thank you so much as always for your continued support and love of our flocks 🩷

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2J9FM1TW0DY71?ref_=wl_share

PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KUCQETANTX7JA

09/19/2026

Our sweet babies have arrived!!! They are so tiny this year and beyond cute! Tomorrow, 3 of these little ones will be off to their forever home!

We are so happy you are all here safe and love you already🩷

Address

Wales, MA
01081

Website

http://www.pinehollowfarmanimalsanctuary.org/

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