Hundreds Of Chickens Saved From Bankrupt Farm By Erie Nonprofit

ERIE, CO -- After a farm in LaSalle went bankrupt in December, things turned ugly for the 36,000 chickens being raised on its property. Erie's Luvin' Arms Animal Sanctuary rushed to help. "It was worse than you could ever imagine," describes a post on the nonprofit's Facebook page, detailing an avian scene that included broken bones, hypothermia, and cannibalism.

The sanctuary, which focuses on the rescue and guardianship of farm animals, brought home a total of 610 chickens. Previously, Luvin Arms' largest rescue operation had involved just ten animals, according to the Longmont Times-Call.

The farmer did not protest the rescue. "They made sure that all of the birds got out of the farm in one way or another," Chrissy Dinardo, development director at Luvin Arms, told the Times-Call. Dinardo said she was grateful that farmer reached out for help.

Luvin' Arms is still caring for approximately 200 of those birds, some in critical condition, after the others were distributed to a variety of other sanctuaries across the nation. A Facebook fundraiser to help pay for the chickens' emergency vet bills had raised more than $45,000 dollars as of Jan. 15.

"Though we are getting discounts from some vets and utilizing dedicated volunteers who have stepped up in efforts to keep costs low, this rescue is going to be more expensive than originally anticipated," explained an update post on the fundraiser's page.

Luvin Arms will soon be looking for homes for a majority of the chickens. Those interested in adopting one should contact Chrissy Dinardo at 720-410-9228.

Do you like this article? Join the Boulder Patch on Facebook! Stay in touch with the news and events that shape Boulder County. Sign up for your free Patch newsletter here.

Photo credit: Shutterstock