Over 160 chicks dumped and left to die 'because they didn't sell before Easter'

More than 160 chicks have been dumped and left to die at the roadside ahead of Easter, the RSPCA said.

The animal welfare charity said that they believed two batches of chicks that had been abandoned were linked and had a “connection to Easter”.

The RSPCA were called after Eighty-one live chicks and 60 dead ones were discovered on North Road, Tydd St Mary, near Wisbech, on the 13th of April.

While another chicks were left at the roadside on Franks Lane in Newton, Cambridgeshire, on 29 March.

The surviving chicks are currently being cared for by the RSPCA at its Block Fen Animal Centre, near Ely.

Amy Okelford, RSPCA press officer, said: “We suspect the two incidents are linked and they have some connection to Easter.”

Ms Okelford said the chicks could have been intended for sale to people who wanted chickens as pets but they “failed to sell in time” for Easter.

RSPCA inspector Justin Stubbs added: “As you can imagine, having to care for a large number of chicks and finding space for them can prove to be difficult, but we are grateful to a number of people who have come forward to offer homes to these birds.

“Whoever dumped these birds had effectively left them to die, they had no access to nearby food or water or shelter from predators and had they not been found, then sadly the rest would have perished as well.”

Anyone with information about the dumped chicks is asked to contact the charity.