Peabody Farm Owner Renews Plea Against Rooster Dumping

PEABODY, MA — A Peabody family farm owner is renewing her plea to those who may have found themselves with an unwanted feathered friend not to "dump" them at her farm.

Madi Wood, who operates Wood Farm in Peabody, said the latest rash of rooster-dumping has become "completely overwhelming" as she scrambles to take care of the new blood mixing with her own animals.

• Crying Fowl: Rash Of Rooster Dumping Forces Peabody Farm Owner To Make Plea

"We are now up to about 10 roosters that have been abandoned here by people who simply don't want them anymore," she posted on social media on Thursday. "I truly love animals, and every time this happens, I do everything I can to make sure they're safe.

"But there comes a point where I have to face the reality that I can't keep taking in everyone else's responsibility."

Wood told Patch last year that rooster dumping on the property has been an issue ever since she was a little girl growing up on the farm. People get what they think are chickens, which grow up to be very loud and occasionally aggressive roosters that become too much for them to handle.

But rather than go through a proper surrender or adoption channel, they take the "easy" way out and drop the roosters over the fence of the farm in the dead of night, where they, presumably, believe the birds will find a healthy new home.

"Dumping a live animal on someone else's property isn't a solution," Wood said. "It's irresponsible and unfair to both the animals and the people left to care for them.

"At this point, I honestly don't know what to do. I'm heartbroken for these birds, but I also have to start seriously considering what my options are."

She told Patch the issue is that some of these birds can be sick, which can then infect the other barnyard residents, and owners who do not know they are coming cannot protect them from natural predators that lurk around farms.

She said the donkey that the farm added in 2022 helped protect the birds, but even that does little to mitigate the fact that people somehow assume that because a farm has roosters that it wants more.

"I don't want to have 45 roosters," she said.

She said the farm has adopted roosters before — but only after an examination of the bird's history and temperament.

Wood said that the better option for anyone who finds themselves in a fowl situation with a rooster beyond their capability to care for it is to contact the MSPCA or another larger farm that might be able to take a surrender.

"Please, if you can no longer care for your animals, look for a responsible way to rehome them instead of abandoning them," she said.