During the pandemic, many sought solace in raising backyard farm animals; now many of them need new homes

Lenore Braford holds a rooster named Percy.
(Photo by Travis Long, Raleigh News & Observer)

The isolation common to the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic pushed many remote workers to adopt a cat, dog and, in some cases, a whole flock of chickens or other farm animals. Some turned out to be too much to handle for those unaccustomed to raising livestock, and now many need new homes while the few shelters left to house them run out of room, reports Martha Quillin for The Herald-Sun in Durham, N.C. 

"A lot of people started backyard flocks during the pandemic," said Lenore Braford, who runs Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge in Pittsboro, N.C. "Some of them really didn’t know exactly what they were getting into." Braford told Quillin that the refuge is full. After getting the birds, Quillin writes that many didn't account for "housing, feed, a watering system, security, veterinary care, disposal of at least 8 pounds of manure per bird each month, and a six- to eight-year natural life span."

Rebecca Reynolds, who runs her own animal rescue about 60 miles east of Raleigh, said the top issue where she lives is pigs. "I’ve had 12 emails in the past week alone about pigs," Reynolds said. Many folks adopted "teacup" pigs while being promised that the swine would stay small, however "'teacup' is not a swine breed, just a misleading label for a pot-bellied pig, which is smaller than a market pig but still can reach 150 pounds and root up hardwood floors," Quillin reports. 

Because of the pandemic, many more typical animal shelters are also full, said Rachel Cronmiller the manager of a shelter in Chapel Hill, N.C. Cronmiller said the pandemic canceled many spay/neuter operations, leading to an explosion in the population of cats and dogs.