‘Each of them has a personality’: Lombardy sanctuary invites visitors to meet its chickens
A Lombardy sanctuary caring for 21 rescued chickens is opening its doors this weekend, giving visitors a chance to meet the flock and learn why its owners believe chickens deserve the same compassion as any other animal.
On Saturday, families can meet the residents of Secondhand Stories Chicken Sanctuary, learn about the sanctuary’s work, and participate in workshops and activities.
Owner Liz Wheeler and her partner, Craig, take in chickens at any point in their life stage and care for them for the rest of their natural lives.
“My partner and I had volunteered in another farm sanctuary in the Ottawa/Mississippi Mills region, and just absolutely fell in love with the animals there. We met our very first chicken, and it was just like love at first sight,” Wheeler told Brockvilleist.
“When we first moved into our property, there were chickens left behind, and so we took in those ones… we’ve been inundated with requests because local humane societies don’t take chickens, and so we kind of fill that gap.”
Before the sanctuary, Wheeler had a non-profit called Secondhand Stories. She had an online bookshop where she’d sell books and donate the proceeds to farm sanctuaries. When they moved into their property in 2022, they turned their non-profit into a sanctuary. Now, they’re a registered charity, and one of only three chicken sanctuaries in all of Canada.
The open house is taking place this Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We started doing [the open houses] as a way to kind of bring the public out into our rural setting because we are a little bit further out from Kingston or Ottawa, we’re like 45 minutes to an hour, depending on where you live,” Wheeler explained.
“I just wanted to be able to share that experience with others, what it’s like to actually meet a chicken. Like most people are so disconnected from our food system that they never get to meet a chicken, and so they have no idea that they are like so unique, and each of them has a personality.”
The open house will include guided tours, a vendor marketplace featuring small businesses and vegan food, yoga with the chickens, and children’s story time with the chickens. Visitors can also participate in a cookbook stand workshop with Project Pine Designs and DIY t-shirt workshop with Chronically Sarcastic.
New to this year’s open house is live music from folk duo Second Strings.
Tickets to the open house are $12 each, with the proceeds covering the costs of the open house, as well as going towards the chickens’ wellbeing. Free tickets are also available so that anyone can attend regardless of their financial situation.
“We’re donating a portion of our ticket sales to Minwaashin Lodge, which is based in Ottawa… giving back to an Indigenous organization is really important to us,” Wheeler expressed.
“We want to make sure that if we’re hosting an event that’s on this property, and we’re like using it for the gain of the sanctuary, that we’re also giving back to the original stewards of the land.”
Wheeler shared that for anyone who can’t make it to the open house, they also offer private tours, which can be organized by contacting the sanctuary.
“One thing I notice is like, when somebody meets a chicken for the first time, you kind of see the gears turning in their head where they’re like, oh, this is just like a dog, or this is just like a cat, or this is like a toddler,” said Wheeler.
“Then the separation of what is an animal that can be consumed for food versus an animal that should be loved, kind of blurs a little bit… nothing that a chicken has done intrinsically makes them worth less than a cat or dog. It’s just kind of how society has set their value. So it’s nice to see people challenge that thought.”
For more information and to get tickets for the open house visit the Secondhand Stories Chicken Sanctuary website.