Senior Advisor Tara and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss why we should consider caring for chickens as indoor companions! Keeping chickens inside may sound strange for people outside of the sanctuary world, although more and more people are realizing that chickens can make great indoor companions. In fact, sometimes taking care of chickens indoors has been a major impetus for some folks to fully recognize the beauty of having a close relationship with chickens and changing their relationship to what they formerly considered to be "farmed animals" in life-changing ways!

Keeping chickens as indoor companions can have a number of benefits for both the birds and their caregivers. We'll talk about those benefits in this episode and our personal experiences caring for chickens indoors.

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This Episode's Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:

• Sharing Your Home With Chickens

• The Open Sanctuary Project's "Indoor Chicken" Informational Brochure

• Compassionate Care Classroom Basic Chicken Care Courses

• Chickens: How We Got Here

• Basic Chicken Care Suggested CurriculumTechniques And Practices Necessary For Responsible Chicken Care

• Things That Are Toxic To Chickens

• Daily Observation For Chicken Health And Well-Being

• Introduction To Supportive Care For Chickens With Disabilities: Non-Ambulatory Residents - Part 1

• Introduction To Supportive Care For Chickens With Disabilities: Non-Ambulatory Residents - Part 2

• Introduction To Supportive Care For Chickens With Disabilities: Non-Ambulatory Residents - Part 3

• Additional Care Recommendations For Older Chickens

• Predator-Proofing For Bird Residents At Your Sanctuary

• The Care Of Chickens In Extreme Cold

• Advanced Topics In Resident Health: Avian Influenza

• Creating An Enriching Life For Chickens
• The Microsanctuary Resource Center

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Nonprofit Specialist Julia, Research Specialist Amber, and Community Education Specialist Andie discuss animal sanctuary and rescue collaboration considerations with animal shelters. While the word "shelter" can be evocative for many, and many folks may have a lot of feelings about them, it's important to realize that shelters are often an essential point of contact when it comes to saving the lives of animals in need. They are frequently a first point of entry for animals in need of assistance, and they can be a critical ally to your animal organization! Have a listen to learn more about how your organization can develop and maintain relationships with shelters so you can maximize your helpful impact for animals!

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This Episode's Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources: A Starter Guide To Terminology Around Animal Care Spaces

A Starter Guide To Understanding And Working With Animal Shelters For Animal Sanctuaries

Managing Requests To Take In And Help An Animal Outside The Scope Of Your Sanctuary's Mission

Determining Your Animal Sanctuary's Capacity For Responsible Care

Fostering Positive Relationships Between Animal Sanctuaries

Managing Cruelty, Seizure And Escapee Cases At Your Sanctuary Or Rescue

Building And Maintaining A Good Relationship Between Your Animal Sanctuary And Veterinarians

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Executive Director Mckenzee Griffler, Community Education Specialist Andie Springirth, and Nonprofit Specialist Julia Magnus delve into the question of mission and vision statements. Why are these two simple sentences so important for the internal operations of animal organizations, both grassroots and nonprofit? How do they help your organization interact with the community more collaboratively and productively? And how do you integrate both your internal and external community into crafting mission and vision statements thoughtfully? Listen to this episode to learn more about this important topic for animal sanctuaries and rescues!

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This Episode's Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:

Understanding Mission And Vision Statements For Your Animal Organization

Weighing The Costs And Benefits Of Nonprofit Status

Conflict Support For Your Animal Organization: Understanding Dominant Culture, How It Shapes Our Behaviours, And Envisioning Alternatives

Conflict Support For Your Animal Organization: Building Transformative Relationships And Tools For Challenging Dominant Culture In Everyday Interactions

Managing Requests to Take In and Help an Animal Outside the Scope of Your Sanctuary's Mission

Strategic Planning for Educational Programming at Your Animal Sanctuary

In-Person Sanctuary Educational Programming: What Are Your Options?

Virtual Sanctuary Educational Programming: What Are Your Options?

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Senior Advisor Tara and Nonprofit Specialist Julia talk about the many considerations that go into protecting avian residents from predators. We'll touch on the risks that predators present, how to familiarize yourself with predator types in your environment, and how to site avian living spaces appropriately. We'll also talk about the importance of impenetrable overnight living spaces and infrastructure that can secure the perimeter of avian living spaces in the daytime. Finally, we also talk about protocols caregivers can use to maintain this infrastructure and ensure ongoing predator-proof living spaces!

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This Episode's Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:

Predator Proofing For Bird Residents At Your Sanctuary

The Caregivers Guide To Developing Your Observation Skills

Good Home Series For All Covered Species Creating An Enriching Life For Chickens

Compassionate Wildlife Practices At Your Animal Sanctuary

Resources On Avian Influenza

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Whether you're just getting started or have been running an animal sanctuary for quite some time now, education often becomes an important part of your organization's mission. Though many sanctuaries choose to facilitate onsite tour programs as part of their education strategy, there are a number of other ways to provide in-person educational opportunities for your community to connect with your sanctuary's residents and mission that can be adapted to your specific philosophy, needs, and capabilities. In this episode, Community Education Specialist Andie chats with Research Specialist Amber Barnes and Nonprofit Specialist Julia about the multitude of ways animal sanctuaries can provide in-person educational opportunities, along with some of the important considerations to make and points to discuss with your staff prior to facilitating them. This is the first part of a much longer discussion on this topic, so please stay tuned for more!

--- This Episode's Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:

In-Person Sanctuary Educational Programming: What Are Your Options? Fundamentals of an Effective Sanctuary Tour Program The Differences Between an Animal Sanctuary and a Petting Zoo Strategic Planning for Educational Programming at Your Animal Sanctuary Accessibility for Folks with Physical Disabilities at Your Animal Sanctuary Accessibility for Blind and Visually Disabled Community Members at Your Animal Sanctuary Accessibility for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community Members at Your Animal Sanctuary Understanding Mission and Vision Statements for Your Animal Sanctuary So, You Want to Start a Farmed Animal Sanctuary

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At the Open Sanctuary Project, we know that the idea of unpacking animal exploitation with youth might seem like a daunting task. But if we want younger generations to help us imagine and create a world that is free from animal exploitation, it's essential that we engage them in anti-speciesist thinking and challenge their human-centered behaviors towards animals as early and often as possible. So, how can animal sanctuaries help create safe space for discussing this tough topic with youth in a way that conveys a sense of moral urgency but not a sense of hopelessness? To help sanctuaries feel more confident in their ability to engage with children, Community Education Specialist Andie chats with Senior Advisor Tara and Nonprofit Specialist Julia in today's podcast episode about some of the ways sanctuary educators can make discussion around animal exploitation more suitable and meaningful for youth. --- This Episode's Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:

Communicating with Youth About Animal Exploitation

The Differences Between an Animal Sanctuary and a Petting Zoo

What to Consider When Children Visit Your Animal Sanctuary

Fostering Empathy Towards Farmed Animals

Fostering Critical Thinking at Your Animal Sanctuary

Understanding Biases that Can Negatively Impact Farmed Animals and How to Help Folks Overcome Them

A Starter Guide to Common Questions Your Sanctuary Gets Asked and How to Thoughtfully Answer Them

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At The Open Sanctuary Project, we not only advocate for compassionate animal care, but also for thoughtful and well-considered governance practices. We believe combining these two elements can help with long-term sanctuary sustainability! In this episode, our Nonprofit Specialist Julia chats with Community Education Specialist Andie, and Research Specialist Amber about some of the many variables when considering starting a nonprofit sanctuary or rescue for animals. We hope this discussion will help movement newcomers and existing organizations closely examine the basics of organizational governance and guide them toward the structures that may be the best fit for their work! ---

This Episode's Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:

So, You Want To Start A Farmed Animal Sanctuary

Weighing The Costs And Benefits Of Nonprofit Status

Understanding Mission And Vision Statements For Your Animal Organization

Accuracy And Transparency: Two Critical Responsibilities Of Your Farmed Animal Sanctuary

Understanding Your Animal Sanctuary's Zoning Rights & Restrictions

Nonprofit Board Basics For Animal Sanctuaries

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At The Open Sanctuary Project, we strongly advocate that you provide appropriate veterinary care for each and every one of your animal residents. This can be tricky at times when it comes to "less traditional" animal companions, like many farmed animal species, among others. Establishing a good relationship with your veterinarian is a critical part of ensuring your residents get the care they need! In this episode, our Research Specialist Amber chats with Senior Advisor Tara and Nonprofit Specialist Julia about some of the ways your sanctuary or rescue can forge a strong relationship and good understanding with your veterinarians!

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This Episode's Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:

Building And Maintaining A Good Relationship Between Your Sanctuary And Veterinarians

Conflict Support For Your Animal Organization Part 1: Understanding Dominant Culture, How It Shapes Our Behaviors And Envisioning Alternatives

Conflict Support For Your Animal Organization: Part 2 Building Transformative Relationships: Tools for Challenging Dominant Culture in Everyday Interactions

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At The Open Sanctuary Project, we believe that animal resident enrichment should be incorporated as an aspect of general care, rather than seen as an "extra". To make the sometimes daunting prospect of enrichment feel a bit simpler, more accessible, and more affordable, our Research Specialist Amber discusses some easy enrichment tips with Andie and Tara, as well as the benefits of enrichment both for residents and the humans at animal organizations.

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This Episode's Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:

Time To Thrive: 10 Easy And Inexpensive Enrichment Ideas

Time To Thrive: The Importance Of Enrichment

Time To Thrive: Safety Considerations For Enrichment

Nutritional Enrichment At Animal Sanctuaries

The Caregiver's Guide To Developing Your Observation Skills

Care Staff Retention At Your Animal Sanctuary

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