National Farm Animals Day

All over the world, farm animals are kept to provide milk, eggs, meat and other products. But many farm animals are treated poorly and kept under terrible conditions. National Farm Animals Day brings an opportunity to show appreciation and raise awareness for these delightful and important creatures.

How to Celebrate National Farm Animals Day

National Farm Animals Day provides a variety of opportunities to enjoy and celebrate interesting things about these unique and important creatures. Have fun with some of these ideas for celebrating the day:

Visit a Working Farm with Animals

In honor of National Farm Animals Day, some working farms offer options for people from the community to visit their farms and learn more about farm animals by getting up close and personal with them. Kids can often see the way that chickens, goats or pigs are treated, and perhaps there will even be a little petting zoo where they can feed them, feel their fur and have loads of fun!

The Barn Sanctuary, located in Chelsea, Michigan might be a great place to visit farm animals that have been rescued from neglect or abuse.

Make a Donation

One super way to show support for National Farm Animals Day might be to make a donation to a charity or organization that works to protect and help them. These charities work to prevent the mistreatment and abuse of farm animals and other animals. Some of these non-profit organizations include:

• Humane Farming Association. This organization was founded in 1985 and has been working to prevent the dangers of factory farming ever since then. Their programs include veal boycotting, farm animal rescue and fighting for slaughterhouse regulations.
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). This American organization works to protect all animals, including pet breeding and farm animals.
• Barn Sanctuary. This organization provides a safe haven for farm animals who have either been neglected or abused. Animals can be adopted and sponsored as they are rehabilitated and cared for.
• Mercy for Animals. This charity works to prevent the practice of cruelty to animals by reducing suffering of animals while also working to make viable alternatives to animal products.

History of National Farm Animals Day

Farming was likely one of the first ways that people supported themselves as they settled into communities, domesticating plants and animals sometime around 10,000 years ago or more. For thousands of years, farms were kept by families and the animals were treated well as a vital part of survival.

Unfortunately, modern times have brought about larger and larger farms that have turned to practices of factory farming where the animals are treated less humanely. This might mean that they are exposed to unhealthy growth hormones, kept in very small spaces where disease is prevalent, or are just generally provided with a low quality of life.

National Farm Animals Day was founded in 2005 by animal enthusiast, Colleen Paige, to show how important these farm animals are to the world and how much they deserve to be treated humanely.