The RSPCA has said this week it fears chickens and cockerels are being abandoned after lots of people went out and bought young birds during the first lockdown and now can’t take care of them.
The animal welfare charity is concerned at the number of hens and cockerels being abandoned and fears rescue centres will be overrun with birds soon.
In Somerset, the RSPCA has dealt with 29 chicken incidents between 1st January 2020 and 30th November.
So far this year, the RSPCA has dealt with 1,594 incidents related to chickens across England and Wales and has had abandonment incidents relating to 1,562 birds.
The charity has also taken 280 chickens into its centres for rehoming.
A charity spokesperson says: “Concerns were raised during lockdown about the increase in pet acquisition and ownership, and we feared that people would soon lose interest and start to hand their animals over once life started to return to normal.”
“In the spring, many hen producers reported huge surges in demand for chicks and we believe this may be because people panic bought birds due to shortages of eggs in the supermarkets but, due to the shops being better stocked, are now ‘surplus to requirement’.”
“There are also concerns that some families may have taken on unsexed chicks, which have grown into noisy cockerels so are now being abandoned.”
Dozens of hens and cockerels have been dumped in recent weeks, sparking fears that charities and rescue centres will soon be overrun with unwanted chickens.
Visit the RSPCA website to find out more about keeping chickens as pets and to see all of the chickens looking for new homes.
The charity adds that if you’d like to get a flock of chickens, please consider rescuing ex-battery hens or adopting from a charity like the RSPCA who have lots of cockerels and hens who are looking for new homes.
This winter, the RSPCA expects to rescue thousands of animals. To help our rescue teams reach the thousands of animals who desperately need us, visit www.rspca.org.uk/xmas and #JoinTheRescue.
