Somewhere, There’s a Place For Us

Updated March 22, 2026

“Where, oh where, is there a place for Mercy and her precious babies, Pride and Joy?” was the first thought that came to the mind of the kind human who spotted a sweet white hen and her two tiny chicks scampering outside a local gym.

Their plight had already captured their heart; now the task was to capture them. And that, as it turns out, was its own little exercise in kindness. Because the truth is, birds like Mercy are so often failed. Most councils have little to no provision for hens and chicks in need. Those once charged with animal protection rarely conduct direct rescues now and our animal protection laws have not kept pace with our understanding of their world.

And so these little gentle someones slip quietly through cracks, relying on luck and the kindness of strangers.

To many, they remain unseen. Diminished by a phrase tossed around, much like the balls inside that gym, without thinking—“bird brain”, as if it means less-than.

Yet spend even a moment with a hen and her chicks and you will see something else entirely. You will see devotion, just as Mercy showed when she used her wings for what nature intended—sheltering her babies as they popped their tiny heads out and tucked them back in again, safe in their mumma’s warm embrace.

For now, Mercy, Pride and Joy are safe. But what they need next is a home

When we learned that chimpanzees used tools, it forced the world to redraw a line we thought was fixed. Perhaps one day we will do the same for birds. Perhaps “bird brain” will be reclaimed as the greatest compliment of all, meaning clever, capable and deeply alive to the world.

For now, Mercy, Pride and Joy are safe. But what they need next is a home.

If you have space in your heart, a safe, foxproof coop and you can offer this little family a loving, forever home, we would love to hear from you. Because somewhere, there is a place for them.

And maybe it is with you.