At a small family operation in Peabody, roosters are showing up like bad party guests who never RSVP. Wood Farm says people are literally tossing unwanted birds over the fence, turning one family’s barnyard into a dumping ground for everyone else’s poultry problems.
CBS News Boston reports that the family says dozens of roosters have been abandoned on the property. In a July 17 report, Peabody Patch said owner Madi Wood counted about 10 roosters at the farm during her latest plea for people to stop dumping birds there.
Rooster Dumping Has Been A Recurring Peabody Problem
This is not the first time the farm has dealt with surprise poultry arrivals. A 2023 profile by Itemlive described people throwing roosters over the property’s fence and reported that the farm had once housed 15 of the birds before the number fell to four.
The trouble often starts when people buy chicks believing they are getting hens, then find out some grow into roosters. Once the birds begin crowing or acting protective, some owners decide they cannot manage them, and Wood Farm becomes the convenient - and completely unconsented - exit strategy.
The Drop-Offs Can Put The Whole Barnyard At Risk
Wood told Peabody Patch that newly abandoned birds may carry illness into the existing flock, while the farm has no chance to learn their history or prepare for their arrival. The birds can also face predators and other dangers if they are simply left outside without a planned introduction or health check.
“Dumping a live animal on someone else’s property isn’t a solution,” Wood said, according to Patch. She said the farm has accepted roosters before, but only after evaluating their history and temperament, and warned that she cannot keep absorbing everyone else’s unwanted animals.
Rescue Groups Urge Responsible Rehoming
The MSPCA-Angell rehoming guide advises owners to try to find an appropriate placement for poultry rather than abandoning the birds. The organization also directs people seeking to surrender farm animals to its Nevins Farm center via MSPCA-Angell, though space and intake policies can vary.
A similar warning surfaced recently in Norwood, where animal control said a group of roosters appeared to have been deliberately left in the woods, CBS News Boston reported. For the Peabody farm, the message remains straightforward: unwanted roosters need a responsible rehoming plan, not a late-night trip over the fence.
