Chicago Roo Crew

07/13/2026

For adoption! Please reach out of your are interested in giving a home to these two adorable chickens. Immediate placement is needed.

Little Bear hatched in an elementary school classroom as part of a science unit. Unfortunately she came out of her egg struggling to stand, stuck on her back with her legs kicking in the air. The teacher was going to end her life, seeing it as the “most humane thing to do.” Luckily another staff member intervened, believing the tiny chick deserved a chance. He saved Little Bear’s life. When I picked her up she was only a few hours only and completely unable to stand. The problem was the twisting of her neck was causing her to lose her balance and end up on her back. With some research and consulting some chicken people I suspected she was vitamin E deficient. Those next couple of days we gave her high doses of vitamin E and hand fed her. The changes were almost instantaneous. She began to hold her head up, then sit upC then stand, then take a few steps, and then RUN. Once she had her feet under her there was no stopping her! She was on the move! Little Bear loved her humans and running around on the bed but she was definitely lonely. If we were not holding her she would call out.
Then we got a call. A little yellow chick was found wandering alone and needed somewhere to go. Goldilocks joined the family and almost immediately the two were inseparable. Goldilocks was more weary of us at first but pretty quickly, Little Bear taught him that we are the ones who bring the yummy food, exciting treats, and really good neck scritches.
We wish so badly that we could keep them but we live in an apartment and they deserve to have space to wander, grass to peck through, and dirt to roll in. These two are SO ready for their next chapter. Little Bear is still learning how to be a chicken but is always watching Goldilocks. When we bring them to our families home where they can play in the garden Goldilocks is all about it! The dirtier the better! Little Bear gets dirt on her feet and still looks a little
horrified about it. She does attempt to find a human lap when given the chance but is getting braver with her best friend by her side.
These two chickens, horribly let down by people in the beginning, are living proof that tiny lives deserve protection and a chance to grow up. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for these two wonderful little souls.

05/06/2026

Transport found! Thank you ♥️♥️ 📣 URGENT TRANSPORT NEEDED — St. Louis ➡️ Boonville, MO — TOMORROW 📣

We have a sweet disabled chicken who needs your help! She's currently in DuPage County, IL and is headed to a special placement that can give them the care they needs — but we're missing one critical leg of their journey.

✅ DuPage County ➡️ St. Louis: COVERED
⬜ St. Louis ➡️ Boonville, MO: NEEDED
✅ Boonville ➡️ Final Destination: COVERED

Because of their disability, they needs to reach their new caregivers as quickly as possible. Tomorrow is th day the Dupage to STL transport is available - so this would be ideal!

They will be in a secure carrier and will be no trouble at all. You'd be the missing piece that gets this little one the specialized care they needs. 🙏

If you're traveling that route tomorrow or know anyone who is please DM us or comment below. Even sharing this post could make all the difference!

❤️ Please SHARE so this babe can get where they need to go!

03/04/2026

Thanks to our friends at Rooster Haus Rescue for their work supporting survivors of cockfighting operations, and for this educational post. Thanks also to our friends at Good Sprout Rescue and Sanctuary for their work on this front!

No birds deserve to live this way, and we are honored to help them in any way we can to getting to loving forever homes, as well as for our colleagues who do the same.

12/03/2025

UPDATE! SARGE AND SALTNPEPPER HAVE BEEN ADOPTED!!!!

This album contains photos and descriptions of birds who need to find forever homes. Descriptions on the photos will let you know a little bit about each bird, and where each bird currently is. Because of our time constraints as an all volunteer organization, we don't always update this album constantly. So we always also have many other birds who may not yet be featured, but are wonderful, and may fit in with your forever loving home perfectly. If you are looking for a roo friend, contact us. We probably have a great companion for you! Thank you for considering opening your heart and home to a sweet rooster buddy!

11/27/2025

We're so grateful to Block Club Chicago for featuring us again on their 2025 list of local mutual aid groups and nonprofits to consider donating to this giving season (along with a great photo of our rooster friend, Fuego!) We will include a link to our fundraiser in the comments! We owe our veterinarians, Niles Animal Hospital and Bird Medical Center well over 20K for their incredible lifesaving and supportive care, and any donation would help us make a dent in that bill, so we can save more lives!

Thanks to Block Club Chicago for their features and support over the years. This is a really wonderful list and if you can give to any group on it, that would be wonderful. If you cannot give, consider sharing this list.

These are challenging times, and Chicago has faced a great deal with bravery and strength. We are always stronger together!

We’ve rounded up more than 60 neighborhood initiatives across the city that have provided food, clothes, money and other support to people in need.

09/28/2025

A DESPERATE CALL FOR ASSISTANCE! DM US TO VOLUNTEER OR CLICK THE LINKS IN THE COMMENTS TO DONATE.

Many people message us weekly asking for us to take their “oopsie” roosters, male birds that they ended up with, from hatching chicks, or from purchases of purported “sexed chicks” from stores or hatcheries. People engage in chick hatching and purchasing birds despite the fact that many locations ban roosters, and expect that they can find a good home for the birds that they have raised and come to love. Or they just dump them in the woods, and the bird either dies, or must be rescued by agencies, or by rescues.

We have to say no, every week. It breaks our heart but we have to do it. People wonder why, this is our job, right? No. It is not. We are all volunteers.

Why do we say no? In Chicago, there’s a quick and simple reason. Roosters are legal. There are ways to thoughtfully and compassionately care for them with considerations for your neighbors. They are no louder than dogs, lawnmowers, leaf blowers, or screaming babies. Your roosters need you to advocate for them, and appreciate them. They’re beautiful beings, who are wrongfully stigmatized. You brought them into your home, and they are your responsibility now, just like any other being you opt to care for. If you want help on retaining your roosters, we’re here for that. But we can’t take them for you. There is no magical rooster land where they can all exist, that we can spirit them away to. We wish there were, trust us.

The bigger reason that we say no a lot is again because we serve a very underserved and stigmatized community of beings, and so there is an endless need for care. Farmed birds, and specifically roosters are otherized, and viewed with derision, dislike, and prejudice. It’s really bogus. Because there are only a very few of us volunteers who do this work in Chicago, and there are so many in need, we have chosen to prioritize the birds with no other choices, no other options. We have chosen a path of assisting shelters who have no other choice but to assist every being who comes in their doors.

This summer, we have assisted with two large scale cruelty situations, a recurring hoarder situation, multiple escapee situations that weren’t even birds, and on Friday we got notice of yet another large scale cruelty situation. We are here for that. Even though it’s going to reach well over a thousand birds. In one summer. We are also assisting fellow rescuers and sanctuaries nationwide who are dealing with similar situations. We are here for them. The animals who come from these situations literally have no other options other than us. Help us help them.

If you can volunteer with us, as a transporter, a foster home, an adopter, or in other ways, please direct message us. If you can donate, we will include a link in the comments. We need adopters more than ever now, including for disabled birds, and for birds who would do well as an indoor bird.

We really need your help right now, and so do our fellow rescuers. If you can offer some special birds a home, or us as rescuers any assistance, please send us a message or contribute to our fundraiser in the comments. Pictured below is one of our volunteers from our very first cockfighting bust, emptying the last cages to prepare birds to live their forever, good, well-deserved lives.

09/08/2025

In the area of rescue that we work in, we often find ourselves having to say no, reserving our capacity for those in the greatest need, who have no other options. In July of last year we received an ask we could not say no to. Look at the pictures below, and look at her adorable face! This was Annie. She was special: an individual we valued and cared for. She received the title of “best hen ever” from many who had the privilege to meet her. She was perfect, and this post is a tribute to her and the village who supported her.

Annie came to us with a broken leg. A Good Samaritan brought her to us, and we thank them. Chickens feel pain, and they suffer when they do not receive appropriate vet care and treatment. Thank you to our organizer Rebecca, the person who stepped up to get her what she needed.

Our wonderful vets did surgery to pin her leg and figure out how to give her the medical support she needed. During that time, Annie also was supported and loved by Rebecca and Matt, her devoted caregivers. Annie formed strong attachments to both of her caregivers, especially loving jumping into the lap of Matt, and blaming Rebecca for medications and vet visits.

Not unlike the journey of any other animal coming from rescue, Annie’s journey has been very complicated. She has been loved and cared for, but she faced tough challenges. Her leg required surgical pinning which was a hard process and surgery. She developed complications. As she went through these challenges, she maintained her good cheer, desire for treats, and will to live and her caregivers Rebecca and Matt supported her through all of that, no matter how tricky it got.

Annie’s personality, brilliance and quirkiness drew folks to her. When she went on meet and greets, her gentle nature and her love for attention and affection inspired people who had never met a chicken before. Her own story helped get people behind her. Annie taught so many people about the nature of chickens, their resilience, their affection, and how lovely they are as individuals. Many, many people stepped up because of who she was and how she was. She was so special that Rebecca and Matt decided that they would offer her a forever home with them and their feathered and furred family members.

Last week Annie had to undergo yet another surgery, this time to remove the pin in her leg which had begun to migrate. Sadly, while her spirits were strong and high, unfortunately her body could not carry her through this final surgery. In spite of all the best efforts of her caregivers and veterinarians, she passed away during surgery.

Annie will live on in the hearts of all who met her and got to know her. She changed hearts and minds, and while her work on this planet is done, the impacts of her life will persist. We love you Annie, Rebecca, Matt, and the entire staff of Niles Animal Hospital and Bird Medical Center, as well as all of the people who contributed to Annie’s care. Thank you to Mary at Chicken Run Rescue, our friend and ally in advocacy for these birds, for lighting a candle in Annie’s honor. May Annie’s light continue to shine.

08/17/2025

Please, look in comments to see a news story and find opportunities to donate. In Chicago we have opinions and feelings in the rescue community. We are also the city of big shoulders and those shoulders all lifted together last week. When Clyde the sheep busted through a window at a slaughterhouse and liberated himself there were many feelings. We were gratified to learn that many people agree that Clyde deserves to be free from fear, and to get the best sanctuary care possible and available. He has made his safe landing at Wildflowers Farm Sanctuary, a place who has given lifelong compassionate care to many of our bird survivors. This could not have been possible without the assistance of the incredible assistance of Chicago Animal Care and Control who saved him after his escape. It would never have been possible without the assistance of Chicago Chicken Rescue, who temporarily cared for Clyde while we found him placement and worked on transport. It certainly would have not been possible without the lifesaving assistance of Precious Cargo Rescue Rides. Thank you to Angela, Joey, Rubio, Christina, Vincent, Diego, Christy, Sonny, Rebecca, Christine, Mary, Lynn, and Cosmos. Every one here was volunteering to give this very scared boy his shot at the sanctuary life and we are grateful.

On Monday I was contacted by a couple people trying to find a permanent home for a sheep that escaped a downtown Chicago butcher and survived (full story in link). I was honored to say yes. It took a village (or in this case, a major metropolis) to save this guy. stepped up to the challenge and transported this big sheep out to the farm. He’s here now, and he’s safe. He’s a little sore and a lot skittish, but he’s resting and decompressing and healing. Next he’ll get a pedicure, a hair cut, surgically castrated, and well take in another sheep so he won’t be alone (goat friends just aren’t the same). Keep any eye out for future updates on this sweet guy!
HUGE THANK YOU to Chicagoans for cheering him on, for not taking him back to the butcher, Julia from for protecting him and coordinating everyone, Chicago Chicken Rescue for giving him immediate safety, and another extra huge shout out to for loading a bringing him our here. Please follow and like them! CBS covered the Chicago story link in comments.