Nikki Patterson had always been a huge animal person and knew one day she would work with animals full time. While she and her husband lived in Los Angeles, they had property in Buellton where they would vacation.
When the pandemic hit, the two found themselves remaining in Buellton and decided to make the move permanent and open up Martha’s Farm Animal Sanctuary, Patterson said.
“The pandemic felt like the perfect time to do it,” Patterson said. “We started with a few miniature donkeys, and then we realized we had pastures and fencing and pens, [and said], ‘Let’s help the animals that need the most help.’”
Farm animals tend to have the least amount of protections because they fall under a livestock and agricultural category, leaving them at risk for abuse or abandonment, she said. To meet the needs of at-risk animals, the sanctuary offers a safe space on its 118-acre property where currently 75 animals roam safely, receive medical care, and live in a “loving environment.”
“In that vein of the most help, roosters started coming to us because roosters have a very difficult path,” Patterson said. “We found that a lot of people were calling us because they had unwanted roosters and didn’t know what to do with them.”
Roosters are seen as aggressive and loud, and many neighborhoods have ordinances against them, which leads to people abandoning the birds on the side of the road or slaughtering them, she said.
“It just became very apparent that there was a need for some kind of rooster program here because we were inundated with calls and people reaching out about their roosters,” Patterson said. “We decided to build a roosters-only coop here where we take the unwanted and unloved roosters and provide a home for them here.”
Now, the coop is at capacity with 15 roosters, and the sanctuary needs more funding to build a new coop if it wants to continue saving these birds, she said.
“As much as we’d love to take on more roosters, we need to make sure they are safe and comfortable,” Patterson said. “We can’t pile endless roosters into one coop.”
In response, Martha’s Farm Animal Sanctuary launched the Save a Rooster Campaign to encourage residents to donate and contribute to the sanctuary, she said.
“[Since] it’s the holiday season and Giving Tuesday is coming up, we thought let’s benefit the rooster. We hope people want to help and we can expand our project,” Patterson said.
The new coop will cost about $4,000 in labor and materials, and Patterson hopes to achieve that goal but will be happy with anything the sanctuary receives, she said.
Eventually, Patterson said she’d like to expand the sanctuary’s services to help other community members by allowing small groups onto the property for educational or therapeutic purposes.
“There’s a therapeutic benefit [for] people with special needs or people who have had some trauma,” Patterson said. “We would love to bring that in and have the animals be a benefit to people, and they enjoy the attention as well.”
Patterson’s reached out to local schools, teachers, and organizations to try to get a program started, she added.
“It’s not open to the public because we don’t want to stress out the animals; it’s a peaceful, idyllic situation for them. But we would welcome small groups and do tours because the benefits are huge,” Patterson said. “[The animals’] energy is amazing—just to be around them and watch them interact has enormous effects. The sanctuary [would be] a great place to do that.”
Highlight
• The Santa Maria Utilities and Recreation and Parks departments are partnering to host a pumpkin smashing event on Nov. 20 from 1 to 3 p.m. This family-friendly event will be held at the Town Center West parking lot near Broadway (Highway 135) and Cook Street. Admission and parking are free. Participants may bring any size and quantity of pumpkins and gourds and throw them into a collection bin (provided by Engel & Gray/Harvest Blend Compost) or aim them at targets on the ground. This event is intended to be a fun way for the community to divert pumpkins from the landfill by providing a location for residents to bring their organic waste for composting. All pumpkins and gourds must be free of inorganic materials such as candles and other decorations. If unable to attend, pumpkins and other food waste may be placed into the organics container for collection. Direct questions to the Utilities Department at (805) 925-0951, Ext. 7270.
Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor wrote this week’s Spotlight. She can be reached at toconnor@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 17-24, 2022.
