I'm so tired. So, so tired. Another neglect/hoarding case today. 23 birds total. 16 Budgies, 3 Diamond Doves, a pigeon, a Citron Cockatoo, a DYH Amazon, and a Hybrid Macaw. I honestly don't know how these birds are even still alive. I will write more tomorrow and fill you guys in on how this came about. The stench is still in my nostrils and my eyes are still burning. I had to use a crowbar to get the Macaw out of its cage. All are here in clean cages with fresh food and water.------------------As a follow up to last night's video, here is what happened. I received a phone call around 2 pm yesterday from a lady in Goodlettsville, TN. that informed me her cousin was taken to the hospital after he fell, they were keeping him for mental health issues, and he was on psych hold. She said she was at his house, everything was a mess, he had birds in his barn, and she didn't know what to do. The first thing I always do is have them send photos. Once she did that, my heart sank and I knew they needed immediate help. I loaded my car with carriers and headed out. When I got there it was much worse than I thought. Sadly, I have dealt with these types of situations more than anyone should have to, and every time I think it can't get worse, it does. The majority of the birds were kept in a horse barn, inside a small tack room. The barn was packed full of junk and just to get to the room I had to crawl past piles of debris. The door to the tack room would only open a couple of feet, so getting the carries in and out was a major hurdle. Even though I wore a mask, the stench was almost unbearable. Flies, moths and mold were everywhere. The Macaw's cage was rusted shut and I had to use a crowbar to get it open. You could tell it had not been opened in years. To get the cockatoo out I had to spin the cage around to get to the hole that was cut out. It also had not been moved in years. The same with the Amazon, but it was not as difficult to get open. To get any food or water, it had to be poured in somehow through the top. There were layers and layers of old molded food and poop. The budgies, diamond doves, and pigeon cage doors were sealed shut with rusted bread ties that had not been removed in years. I was one carrier short and had to bring one of the cages with me and it was so heavy from never being cleaned that I had a hard time lifting it. In hindsight, I should have taken someone with me to help, but I got all the birds out of the barn. I see a lot of your comments from the video last night how eerily silent it was. There was no singing or chirping, it's like they had accepted their fate. There were 7 Budgies inside the house, so we headed there next. It was stacked floor to ceiling with "stuff", but we made path to the cage where the budgies were. She told me the last time she had been there was three years ago, but he would not allow anyone in the house or the barn. These birds have spent years like this. I am thankful that she at least knew about the birds, or they would certainly have died in that room all alone thinking no one cared about them. How someone can look at these birds year after year and think it's okay is beyond me. We have a serious mental health crisis in the country, and I often think about the birds and animals we don't know about living like this. I will know more today once I have had a better chance to look everyone over and will update you guys with happier pictures than the ones shared here. They will need time to destress, then we can get them to the vet to be checked out. Total birds 23. Sixteen Budgies, three Diamond Doves, a pigeon, Citron Cockatoo, DYH Amazon, and a Hybrid Macaw. The lady had no info on names or ages. We always keep a reserve for emergencies, but donations are always welcome. For those of you that have already donated, thank you ❤ Venmo: @EASTParrotSanctuary (Kim Hannah) (5723) Website: https://tnavianrescue.org/donate/online/ Kim Hannah Founder & Executive Director Exotic Avian Sanctuary of Tennessee