The Sad Reason So Many Chickens Are Being Surrendered To Animal Shelters

The pandemic brought with it so many unexpected developments. Per National Geographic, many people chose to bring home baby chicks or even full-grown chickens during those trying times. The chicken rental businesses became rather popular as individuals turned to the birds for comfort and a regular supply of eggs. Customers could choose to bring home hens for as long as six months if they wished to. Someone who brought home chickens as pets for a little while said that she was hoping the birds would help her children. One of the kids especially loved this and said, "They're like little people."

This sentiment was echoed by another parent who told the New York Post that adopting chickens had managed to distract her kids. She said, "The children were off school, bored, and chickens have been a great diversion from what was happening in the world." However, this is changing now that things are slowly getting back to normal. As reported by Food & Wine, sadly, many people are choosing to return their chickens.

According to Food & Wine, many chicken owners are now choosing to part with their pets because the birds serve as a reminder of life during the pandemic. Another factor is that many individuals simply don't want to care for the chickens anymore. The Chicago Roo Crew is an animal rights organization that has been overwhelmed with too many requests by those who want to let go of their chickens. Things have become so difficult that the group has started rejecting requests. An animal rights attorney and volunteer for the organization, Julia Magnus, told Chicago Block Club that they currently remain "closed for intake" and added, "Because we have too many [birds] and our vet bills are tremendous."

Gabrielle Stubbert, a woman who works at the Tamerlaine Sanctuary & Preserve in New Jersey, said that she does her best to work with owners and requests them to continue caring for their pets. Many don't listen to her, however, and feel like it's a lot of effort. She told the West Milford Messenger, "If there's any kind of trouble, or they're having any kind of difficulty, they're just like, 'It's too much, I don't want them anymore.'"