Freedom Ranger chicks sit in a pet kennel before being moved to an adoption area, at First State Animal Center and SPCA in Camden, Del., Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mingson Lau)
Kennel technician Mark Palmeri moves Freedom Ranger chicks to an adoption area at First State Animal Center and SPCA in Camden, Del., Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mingson Lau)
Thousands of chicks found abandoned in USPS truck have been adopted
CAMDEN, Del. (AP) 鈥 Thousands of chicks found abandoned inside a postal service truck for three days have gone to new homes, according to the Delaware shelter that had cared for them, with the last batch picked up on Thursday morning.
CAMDEN, Del. (AP) 鈥 Thousands of chicks found abandoned inside a postal service truck for three days have gone to new homes, according to the Delaware shelter that had cared for them, with the last batch picked up on Thursday morning.
All the surviving birds, estimated as more than 5,000 chickens 鈥 it was too hard to get a specific count 鈥 plus some others like turkeys and quails, were primarily adopted by local families, rescues and farms, according to First State Animal Center and SPCA.
The chicks were part of a 12,000-bird shipment left unattended in a truck at a Delaware mail distribution center. Trapped in high temperatures without food or hydration, thousands died, according to the state Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Postal Service has said it is investigating the 鈥減rocess breakdown鈥 that occurred.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
For more than two weeks, the surviving birds had been cared for at an overwhelmed First State Animal Center and SPCA, said John Parana, executive director. As a no-kill operation, the shelter would not take adopters planning to use the birds for meat, Parana said. Some of the adopters took hundreds at a time, hoping for egg-laying hens, while others took them as pets.
Stephanie Bruzdzinski adopted a handful of chicks after her daughter learned about their situation.
鈥淪he was very upset and wanted to help out,鈥 said Bruzdzinski, who was similarly shocked when she heard the news. 鈥淪he doesn鈥檛 like when things aren鈥檛 getting taken care of.鈥
The birds originated from Pennsylvania-based Freedom Ranger Hatchery鈥檚 weekly bird shipment to clients around the country, and due to biosecurity concerns, the hatchery cannot take the chicks back, a company spokesperson said.
