The Bare Mother Earth: Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

"One should not kill a living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor should one incite another to kill. Do not injure any being, either strong or weak, in the world." - Buddha

To celebrate my birthday this month I volunteered at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. The Woodstock Farm is home to many rescued animals saved from the meat industry. They are rehabilitated and spend the rest of the lives on a peaceful farm, as all farm animals should.

I drove 2 hours to the Woodstock farm in NY; The drive was beautiful - A scenic view of mountains and colorful fall trees. We drove through Woodstock, NY, a hippie town full of mom and pop stores. When we pulled into the parking lot turned the car off and instantly heard roosters. We arrived on the farm!

Once we stepped out the car, we were greeted with chickens and roosters enjoying the morning, roaming the land - a privilege they were once denied. Down the pathway behind the handmade wood gate, goats, a mule, more roosters and chickens were all roaming free enjoying a peaceful life. In the barn and pastures rested pigs, cows, more sheep, and turkeys.

Chickens welcoming us to the farm

A perfect morning for farm animals - enjoying the sun while they get ready for visitors .

I felt at peace. I felt at home.

Our first job was to clean the chicken coop. We removed the old wood chips and laid down 5 new bundles, collected warm eggs, and fed them. The eggs are not eaten by humans instead they are fed back to the chickens as a treat and a good source of calcium (which they greatly lack from their factory farm days) and also fed to the pigs and dogs as treats. Some of these chickens came from an egg factory farm in California. Now they can live out their life here on a beautiful farm laying eggs at their own leisure.

After the chickens were cleaned and feed we had a vegan picnic next to a few sweet goats that loved attention and back rubs.

Next we cleaned the rabbit coop. The two rabbits were rescued from research labs and now living out there lives on the farm. While we were cleaning the rabbit’s coop, a white goat decided he wanted to climb on top of the picnic table. He stayed there for a while then eventually jumped down. While he was on the table, Doug Abel, one of the founders, walked by, workers walked by and all said nothing. The goat was free to do whatever he wanted. All the animals are free to do what they want. That is the whole point of the Woodstock Farm – the animals are free to just be.

If you want to meet beautiful farm animals than visit the Woodstock farm or a farm near you. Many farms give tours and almost all need volunteers all year around. It is a great way to support rescue animals. Don't visit the zoo instead bring your child to the farm to meet the animals. I promise you will leave with a changed perspective and understanding of farm animals.

If you cannot make it to the farm then you show your support online by becoming a member or adopting an animal. Most importantly show your support by adopting a vegan lifestyle!

To learn more about how the farm was created read the Lucky Ones by Jenny Brown, one of the founders of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. I am half way through and love this book!

This experienced confirmed my life choices.

It is time to take action - volunteer and make vegan choices!

Here are a few pictures of the day:

You can read more about each animal here