registered charity no. 1195321
“Because every animal has the right to a peaceful, happy life."
registered charity no. 1195321
“Because every animal has the right to a peaceful, happy life."
Who we are
Our Somerset-based animal sanctuary began just before Christmas 2018, when we welcomed 3 huge pigs into our lives with open arms! They were booked in for the slaughterhouse, and we could not possibly have refused them a home. Since then, we have become home to a selection of beautiful souls, all saved from a harsh reality and death. Today we are an ever-growing family of rescues, and we have helped over 7400 animals find their way to the safety of loving, forever homes.
Love, compassion and understanding is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that every life is of equal value.
Because every animal has the right to a peaceful, happy life.
Choose your donation amount below and become a Sanctuary Hero!
will buy a bag of rosehips to keep our oldies (Tiny, Daisy and Bertie) healthy and happy
will buy a bag of food for the pig residents (we go through one bag a day!!)
will buy a bale of hay to feed the sheep, goats, horses and bunnies
We will be in touch to send your virtual and video updates!
Thank you
PTF
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Twist's Story
This is Twist. She came to us with 350 of her sisters on our most recent chicken rescue.She had ‘wry neck’, which means her neck was weak and twisted too far round, and she would often get her head stuck upside down. This is caused by either physical trauma, or malnutrition as she was growing up. She also had a really nasty case of sour crop, and wasn’t digesting her food very well at all. This is a yeast infection, and meant that as her food was not clearing, it was fermenting inside her crop.When hens are kept in barns of thousands, who will notice that something is wrong with one?Of the hens that make it to safety with us, countless have conditions ranging from uncomfortable, to severely painful, to fatal. Some have had these conditions for a long time, some are caused by rough handling before their journey to us. Most can be treated and many can survive with proper care and love. But most will never get the chance to survive.We removed Twist from the group as soon as we realised her condition. She spent time in the hospital wing with many others from that rescue. We gave her vitamin E every day with her food to help with her wry neck, and a treatment plan of apple cider vinegar, medication and homeopathic spices to tackle her sour crop. It cleared up eventually and she began growing back her feathers and seeming much happier. Then, suddenly, we lost her.These hens have been through so much by the time they reach us. Their entire lives - 72 weeks’ existence in mass-production commercial farming. They are bred to be alive for one purpose only, and they are worked hard. We have had to get used to loss a lot more around here since we began saving chickens. It does not get one bit easier.Twist had a huge impact on us here. She was an incredible, funny, brave individual. She deserved a life of freedom, but she couldn’t quite make it. We just hope she felt the love that we showered her with in her time here.Some of her sisters are here still and will remain in our care. Many have gone to their forever homes, and are embarking on a life of happiness and freedom.Millions of others are in the egg farms. Nameless, stressed, unloved. When they reach the end of their service, and are bound for the slaughterhouse, some farmers agree to let us take them instead. We bring them home, and we find them new homes where they will be cared for and respected.We know it’s not fixing the whole problem, but it means the absolute world to each and every hen who is saved. We want to see these beautiful creatures have a chance at a life beyond the barn.We can only do this with your help.Thank you.PTF xWho lays your eggs?
Did you know...
-- the hens in these photos are from Free Range farms. They live in barns of up to 10,000, with access to an outside area during the day.
-- hens in commercial egg farms are killed at 72 weeks old, as they are no longer useful. They are called "spent hens". They are replaced by 16 week-old hens, and the cycle repeats. Given the chance, hens can live for 6 years or more.
-- around 3 million chicks are hatched each month in the UK to be sent to egg farms. The baby boys are killed almost at birth. Like the hens who have spent thier lives laying eggs for humans, they are now a by-product.
Rescuing ex-commercial hens...
-- commercial laying hens have been selectively bred to lay around 300 eggs a year. Their wild ancestor would lay around 12 a year.
-- this intesive breeding, and exhausting egg production, has a huge toll on their bodies. Egg peritonitis, prolapse vent, ovarian cancer, vent gleet and many other issues are common. In barns of thousands, it's almost impossible for them to receive individual care and medical treatment.
-- you can find a brilliant resource for all chicken health issues from the Open Sanctuary Project here.
at Pear Tree Farm Animal Sanctuary, we see all hens for the beautiful individuals that they are
This is Zelda. She was terrified and bald when she arrived at the sanctuary. She trusted us very quickly, and hid behind us from other hens when she was scared. She grew in confidence, she grew her feathers, and now she is a brave, fluffy member of the main flock.
Josette Simon OBE
Patron of PTF Animal Sanctuary
"I used to close my eyes to any evidence about what horrors the dead animals on my dinner plate had to endure, in order to satisfy my appetite. I would just scroll on by, with a generalised "oh I know it’s horrible, but I don’t want to see it"... sort of way.
Then one day I stopped scrolling by and opened my eyes. I looked into every aspect of how animals are mistreated and brutally murdered, so that we can consume them. And I felt sick. And I cried. And I changed. And I became a vegan. What I’ve found since, is not only have I eaten a vast array of plant based
food, more delicious than anything I had before, but that the joy of seeing the diversity of animal beings, living their best lives - safe, happy, freely - in a sanctuary like Pear Tree Farm Animal Sanctuary is absolutely uplifting.
Pear Tree Farm is amazing. They have put in backbreaking hard work to achieve little miracles all the time. Many of the array of animals that they have rescued, come here in an awful state as a result of the despicable way in which they have been kept and treated, as well as having been but a short breath away from the slaughterhouse. They are then nursed back to health by the skill, care, love and dedication of the remarkable team at Pear Tree Farm Animal Sanctuary. It is very hard work. They work so hard, with ever present concerns about having enough money to attend to the sanctuary’s needs. They rely on voluntary donations and have done wonders with what little they have.
I heartily applaud them for what they have established and continually try to achieve at Pear Tree Farm Animal Sanctuary.
It’s a very special place and I feel honoured to be its Patron."
Josette Simon OBE
