The BC SPCA is “crying fowl” on hobby farmers believed to be abandoning chickens on Sunshine Coast logging roads.
Sunshine Coast SPCA manager Marika Donnelly said in a release on Monday that they’ve had 19 chickens come through their branch since January, including nine roosters that were rescued on March 5.
“We are getting an increasing number of calls to rescue birds who have been dumped on logging roads in the area,” Donnelly said, adding that staff had also discovered the remains of a rooster that had been attacked by a predator.
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She said roosters are most at risk of abandonment since they are less desirable for hobby farmers.
“What we’re finding is that people raise the chicks until they are about six months old and they can discern if they are male or female,” she said. “Roosters will fight over the hens and can become aggressive, so some hobby farmers don’t want them.
“Instead of re-homing, or even culling their flock humanely, they are simply driving out to one of the logging roads in the area and dumping them.
“Leaving chickens in the woods leaves them vulnerable to predators and starvation, ultimately a painful death.”
Instead, she said the SPCA is urging residents to “do the right thing.”
“When people choose to raise animals they have a responsibility to treat them humanely,” she said. “We’re speaking out on this situation because we know our community can do better.”
For more information contact Donnelly at the SPCA Sunshine Coast branch office by calling 604-740-0301 or email mdonnelly@spca.bc.ca.
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