Poultry rescue · Sunshine Coast, QLD
A lap to fall asleep on. A flock to belong to. The care to keep going. We help rescued hens and roosters find their feet—and give each one the best care we can.
Registered charity. Personal care. Every bird matters.
The lives behind the names
Some are cuddly. Some are bossy. All have their own way of telling us what they need.
A quiet voice. Plenty to say.Living with complex health needs—and still making her feelings about grass time very clear.
The boy who found his peopleOnce sleeping in the forest. Now happiest tucked into a jumper, with a flock of his own.
A little trust goes a long wayAt the bottom of the pecking order, she decided a familiar arm was a good place to feel safe.
Two dumped hens, an open car door, and the beginning of our rescue story.
Read their story
Floppy couldn’t stand when she arrived. These days, she parks at our feet for a cuddle.
Read their story
A gentle little rooster who loves tickles, with a history of crop troubles and recurring ear problems.
Read his storyRescue is the beginning
Feathers growing back can be a wonderful milestone. For many of our birds, rehabilitation and veterinary care continue long after that.
Most of our rescued ex-battery hens receive hormone implants on an ongoing or intermittent basis as part of their individual care. Donations help keep this care going.
Consultations, medication, tests, hospital stays and surgery when needed. We work with our vets to respond to each bird’s changing health.
Good food, suitable housing, careful introductions and daily attention. We learn who each bird is, including when they need a little extra help.
We’re grateful to the team at The Unusual Pet Vets Sunshine Coast for the veterinary care they provide our birds.
hours of home oxygen support for Polly,
reported by September 2026.
After repeated trips to the vet for oxygen, we bought a concentrator and built a brooder to support Polly at home.
Read Polly’s story
Hello, we’re Sam and Fay
We brought home five-week-old chicks while living in Cairns, and fell for their personalities. When one turned out to be a rooster—Maggie—we discovered how hard finding a good home for a boy could be.
Maggie’s story had a happy ending: a 14-hour return drive to a colleague who still has him. Tina and Lucky, two hens found dumped near home, became our first rescues.
Then came our first six ex-battery hens. Watching depleted, feather-bare birds recover and reveal their individual characters changed us. We started A Peck of Hope so we could help more animals.
Today, we fit the birds’ care around full-time work on the Sunshine Coast. We provide the highest level of care we can afford for each animal, because every life matters to us.
Sam & Fay
Our birds stay in our care, with their housing and routines adapted around their needs. Some need ongoing support indoors; others spend their days with their flock.
There’s more than one way to help
Maggie and Eddie made this question personal for us. Roosters deserve care and consideration, whether they come from a backyard hatch, a school project or commercial egg production.
You don’t have to share the same diet to care about animal welfare. We want people to ask questions, understand how animals are treated, and do what they can to avoid supporting cruelty.
Have a realistic plan for every bird—including the roosters. Ask schools and hatching providers what happens to the boys once the project ends. The RSPCA identifies unwanted male chicks as one of the welfare concerns.
RSPCA: school hatching projectsAsk how hens live, how illness is treated and what happens when laying slows. Outdoor access alone doesn’t guarantee good welfare; conditions inside the shed matter too.
RSPCA: understanding free rangeIn commercial egg production, most male chicks are killed soon after hatching. Ask egg producers what they do, and whether they are adopting alternatives that avoid this.
RSPCA: male chicks in the egg industryHelp keep their care going
Donations first and foremost support veterinary care: ongoing implants, appointments, medication and the treatment our birds need when illness strikes.
in recorded veterinary bills for 2025–26.
Health workbook invoice records, 1 July 2025–25 June 2026. Rounded to the nearest dollar; records are incomplete and later costs are additional.
Our recorded clinic charge is about $200 for an implant alone. Complex illnesses can bring bills of $1,000–$2,600 or more. Every contribution helps us keep responding to their needs.
Hormone implants can suppress egg production and are used by avian vets to help manage some reproductive conditions. Most of our rescued ex-battery hens receive them on an ongoing or intermittent basis, according to their needs.
Gifts support the birds’ veterinary care, including implants and treatment for illness. We allocate donations according to the needs of the animals in our care. An example amount illustrates a cost; it doesn’t reserve a specific treatment for a particular bird.
A Peck of Hope Limited is an ACNC registered charity. We are not currently endorsed as a deductible gift recipient, so donations are not tax deductible.
A one-off gift towards the care they need.
Choose $10, $20, $50 or your own amount on PayPal. All amounts are in Australian dollars.
Your gift contributes to ongoing implants, veterinary appointments and treatment when a bird becomes unwell.
Donate with PayPalPayPal opens in a new tab to choose your amount and complete your gift.
Payment details are handled by PayPal.
A Peck of Hope Limited is a registered charity.
Donations are not currently tax deductible.
