Anybody hear about the Buckeye Egg Farm in Ohio? Got hit by tornadoes over a week ago. Warehouses the size of football fields were demolished, along with the automated feeding & watering systems. I think this is the tenth or eleventh day that the birds (trapped in cages) have gone without food or water. More than a million have died, either from exposure, starvation, injuries, or gassing done by the company. A dismal scene. Anyway, one good thing the company has done is to allow humane workers to try to save as many birds as possible. I drove out there yesterday to pick up over 100 hens who were taken from the wreckage. Today I let them into their yard for the first time. They're like little robots! They don't know what to do with food on the ground, nor do they scratch or peck. Their beaks have been clipped. They all stay huddled together and move as one, like a school of fish. Mainly all they want to do is huddle together in the darkest corner of the barn. And they're so frail & thin. Like little piles of feathers and bone. They weigh almost nothing, and they don't eat vigorously like regualr birds. They're just kind of like zombie-chickens. The other people who rescued birds say that they come around after a few days, and I'm sure these will too. But for now, they seem shell-shocked (no pun intended) and robotic. And not just from the tornado, but from the misery they lived in BEFORE the tornado, on the factory farm. The tornado was probably the best thing that's ever happened to them, in fact. If anyone wants to see pictures or get information about adopting rescued birds (they need homes for about 5 thousand hens), you can contact me.

-- Shannon (Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary) (gratacres@aol.com), October 03, 2000

Answers

Wow, no I havn't heard anything on NPR or the "Farm and Dairy", though it doesn't come till Thursday, I would think "Farm and Dairy" would tell about it since Buckeye Egg has been such a subject of concern lately these past few years. Those poor chickens, this really reinforces my convictions about being a "semi-vegetarian, meaning , I try to only eat meat that I have raised, that way I'm not supporting the factory farms that produce inhumanely raised animals for meat. Since the meat now has a face I find I don't eat very much meat anymore, better for the heart and blood pressure anyway! The lack of media attention to this at Buckeye Egg is typical however, when something happens that could really enlighten the public in a positive manner nobody hears anything about it. Big money gets its way again ! Ugh!

-- Annie Miller (ann.miller@1st.net), October 03, 2000.

I seem to recall recently reading something written by Gene Logsden where he mentioned Buckeye egg, and that he lived only a few miles from there. I wonder if he made it through the storm un-scathed?

-- Mike (gshep@aeroinc.net), October 04, 2000.

Shannon, I'd be interessted in more info - a friend and I may be able to adopt some birds. Is there a minimum that you have to take? I personally can't handle 100 chickens @ this point in time - maybe a dozen, and I doubt my friend could take more than a dozen either... Anybody else out there in TN want in if we can make it happen?

-- Eric in TN (ems@nac.net), October 04, 2000.

Shannon, Good for you! I had not heard of this disaster. I seldom watch TV and I do not take the paper. I have room and know of others who might help however I live in Utah. I wish I could help. I have toured egg farms and I can not stand the thoughts of those poor hens who do not understand about the freedom to range. Good Luck!

-- Cheryl Cox (bramblecottage@hotmail.com), October 04, 2000.

Where in Ohio are you talking about?

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), October 04, 2000.

Contact: franklin@upc-online.org for up-to-the-minute information about the egg farm disaster. I believe Buckeye is in Xenia, OH.

-- Shannon (Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary) (gratacres@aol.com), October 04, 2000.

Did a search for Buckeye Egg and found the following. It's from the summer 6/19. Interesting reading; checkout the 'Motion for Contempt' Yikes !

http://www.ag.state.oh.us/pressrel/buckeyeegg6.19.htm

Just thought you might want to know...or not !

j

-- j (jw_hsv@yahoo.com), October 04, 2000.

THANKS for the info! While it is impossible for me to get and house some of the poor chickens, I called my brother in North Carolina and told him to find poeople to adopt some of them quick! It is a crime that people think so little about the life of anything non-human. Who are the humane ones?! Knowing there are other people out there that care so much over "just a chicken" restores my faith in the goodness of (some) others.

-- Julia in Tally (tofubiscuit@excite.com), October 04, 2000.

Shannon, please give me a call. I am very interested in getting some. I live in Summerville, PA. Call me collect if you have to. I have a large chicken coop that needs filling! Call me! (814) 856-2770 Please call between 6:00 - 11:00 p.m. Thanks.

-- Michael W. Smith (kirklbb@penn.com), October 04, 2000.

Eric: What part of TN are you? I wouldn't mind having a few, but definitely not 100. My # is 423-733-1721. Collect is fine.

-- Teresa (otgonz@bellsouth.net), October 05, 2000.

just alittle info. friends were driving near a perdue farm and a truck drove out one bird fell of and they picked it up and brought it to us, do not expose these birds to direct sunlight for long periods of time, ours went blind from the sun, they are raised w/ no sunlight.a few minutes at a time slowly building them up is good. wish i lived closer would love to have some. can they be shipped?

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), October 05, 2000.

Xenia is in Southwest, OH, near Dayton. Next town to the west on U.S. 35. If the egg farm is near there, it is probably to the west of Xenia towards Jamestown as the area between Dayton and Xenia is become suburbiaville. Fairly easy access from either I-75 or I-70.

Tornado happened about September 21st. Did a lot a damage in Xenia also.

I think Gene Logsdon lives in Southeastern, PA.

It would probably help if you provide a contact point at the egg farm so people don't show up and be disappointed.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 05, 2000.

Folks can write me for contact names & numbers. I wouldn't recommend just showing up at Buckeye.

-- Shannon (Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary) (gratacres@aol.com), October 05, 2000.

Gene Logsdon lives further east and north in Upper Sandusky area.

Xenia got flattened about 30 years ago in a heck of a tornado. April of 1971 I believe? That particular storm was on the day that 400 + tornados hit in the US. Xenia was one of the worst hit places that day. Quite a few fatalities there if I remember right.

-- John in S IN (jsmengel@hotmail.com), October 05, 2000.

So where you able to get any of them shipped out ?

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), October 10, 2000.