Latest news with #chicks
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Tweed Valley osprey love triangle chicks fail to survive
The four chicks which hatched as part of a rare osprey love triangle in the Borders have and Land Scotland (FLS) had captured the unusual arrangement on cameras set up as part of the Tweed Valley Osprey Project (TVOP) at Glentress near female birds and one male had been breeding in what initially appeared to be a "tolerant" after the male bird left the nest, the two females struggled to provide enough food for the chicks which ultimately failed to survive. The unusual breeding situation was revealed last month when the relationship between the birds was "looking good".They worked together to incubate the four eggs in the nest and the chicks began to hatch on 28 by that stage the male bird - named Newboy - had abandoned the nest, leaving the two females - F2 and Mrs O - to provide for the co-ordinator Diane Bennett said that process had started out quite well. "It was with huge relief to everyone on the project when F2 brought a half-eaten fish back to the nest and both females began to feed the tiny chicks together," she said."It was a unique moment to witness and it was looking hopeful that they would figure out a feeding strategy to look after their young between them."However, no further fish were brought to the nest over Friday and Saturday."The chicks were begging for food, Mrs O went into her instinctive role to nurture her young, protect them and to stay with them," Diane Bennett said."This left F2 to go against her natural instinct to do the same as Mrs O and to become the hunter and provider instead, which ordinarily is the role of the male bird in the osprey breeding cycle."F2 was struggling to fulfil this role, Newboy never returned and Mrs O was locked into her motherhood mode." She said that F2 did eventually return on Monday with a "small portion of half-eaten fish" but Mrs O was "so ravenous" that she had eaten it, leaving none for the Tuesday, when Mrs O stood away from the brood, it was clear that three of the young had died and one was still "begging to be fed".F2 did eventually bring some fish to the nest but by that time the remaining chick had also "succumbed to starvation and passed away"."Everyone is so heartbroken that the female ospreys have not managed to make this situation work," said Diane Bennett."This has been very upsetting and sad to watch this family drama turn to tragedy and brings home just how vulnerable and fragile the whole breeding cycle can be for ospreys."For their very brief lives they touched many hearts of people who dearly wanted them to survive."However, she said it was "not all doom and gloom" in the Tweed Valley as other birds that had fledged from the area had been spotted far have been reported on the Isle of Anglesey, in North Yorkshire and the Usk Valley in Wales.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chicks left stranded as postal center in Delaware rescued and adopted
After thousands of chicks from a Pennsylvania hatchery were stuck at a postal distribution center in New Castle County, the surviving birds were rescued by the First State Animal Center and have since been adopted.
New York Times
19-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Thousands of Chicks Left in Postal Service Truck Overwhelm a Delaware Shelter
Thousands of chicks that spent three days in a United States Postal Service truck in early May have overwhelmed a Delaware animal shelter, frustrating the hatchery that had shipped them to various farms, the shelter and hatchery said. On May 2, the Delaware Department of Agriculture received a call from the Postal Service saying that it had 'an undeliverable box of baby birds.' The department contacted First State Animal Center and SPCA in Camden, Del., and employees there, along with agriculture department employees, reported to the Postal Service's Delaware Processing and Distribution Center. There, they found 4,000 dead chicks and 10,000 living ones abandoned in a delivery truck, according to a news release from the Delaware Department of Agriculture. They also found turkeys, geese, quail and chukars, state agriculture officials said. The chicks were part of a routine shipment from a Pennsylvania hatchery sent out on April 29. The department and First State Animal Center, a shelter, 'worked tirelessly' to transport the chicks there and provide them with care, according to the news release. First State Animal Center said in a Facebook post that the chicks were abandoned in the delivery truck 'without water, food or temperature control.' Since the chicks' arrival, the shelter has been asking for help from the state and the community as it has been caring for the thousands of chicks '24/7 with heat, food, water and survival care.' The shelter put the birds up for adoption on May 13. The shelter was closed on Monday, and phone messages and emails to the shelter were not returned. But The Associated Press reported on Monday that only a few hundred of the chicks had been adopted. The Freedom Ranger Hatchery, which raised and shipped the chicks, said in an emailed statement that the Postal Service had not explained why the chicks never made it to their destinations. The hatchery said it was unsure if it would be compensated for the loss, which has 'compounding effects with the many small family farms that were counting on these birds for their summer grow out schedules.' The birds were supposed to be shipped to several states, and at least 2,000 were intended to be delivered to Spokane, Wash., according to the Delaware Department of Agriculture. 'Federal mail was given out without permission and was dumped on a shelter who was not prepared to care for this live cargo,' the hatchery said in the statement. 'Once the USPS recognized their error, the best option for the Postal Service would have been to expedite the packages to get to their end destination where the recipients were prepared to care for the birds.' The U.S.P.S. did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday. But The A.P. reported that the Postal Service had said that it was aware of a process breakdown and was actively investigating what had occurred.
CBS News
19-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Shipment of thousands of chicks left in USPS truck. Overwhelmed shelter needs help adopting them
A Delaware animal shelter is trying to care for and rehome thousands of chicks that survived being left in a postal service truck for three days. Trapped in a warm enclosure, without food and water, thousands died before they were discovered on May 2, CBS affiliate WBOC reported. The involved parties are still awaiting answers as to how 12,000 chicks were abandoned within the truck at a Delaware mail distribution center. The United States Postal Service said in an email to the Associated Press that it was aware of a process breakdown and was actively investigating what occurred. Hundreds of chicks mill around a stall at First State Animal Center and SPCA on Friday, May 16, 2025, in Camden, Delaware. Mingson Lau / AP The USPS says it has been working with hatcheries for more than 100 years to transport mail-order chicks and that it transports thousands of chicks every year, according to its website. "Chicks can be safely transported without food or water within 72 hours of hatching. In fact, placing food and water inside the hatchery box could jeopardize the integrity of the box and could endanger the health and safety of the animals inside," the Postal Service website says. Pennsylvania-based Freedom Ranger Hatchery raised the shipped chicks for their weekly distribution to clients across the country, said a spokesperson for the company. Due to biosecurity concerns, the hatchery cannot take the chicks back. The chicks were supposed to be delivered to several states, including Texas, Ohio, Florida, and more but the entire shipment was mistakenly sent to Delaware following shipping delays and rejections from distribution centers across the country, WBOC reported. The hatchery's spokesperson said it would have been best if USPS, after discovering the chicks, had completed delivery, as the recipients would have been adequately equipped to handle the birds — even malnourished ones. Hundreds of chicks mill around a stall at First State Animal Center and SPCA on Friday, May 16, 2025, in Camden, Delaware. Mingson Lau / AP "After three and a half days in the heat, these crates were wet with dead fowl. It was a mess," John Parana, executive director at First State Animal Center and SPCA, told CBS affiliate WBNS-TV. For more than two weeks, the surviving chicks have been nursed and cared for at the shelter, Parana said. Last Tuesday, the shelter began offering the birds for adoption, but only a few hundred out of thousands have been picked up. There is no complete count of the chicks, as the shelter has no feasible way to do so, but Parana estimates there to be more than two thousand available. Some have inquired about buying the birds for meat, but, as a no-kill shelter and SPCA, those were refused. The strain has turned the animal care center into a 24/7 operation and necessitated a staffing increase, Parana said. Money remains the biggest concern for the donation-reliant nonprofit. Some employees have begun spending their money to support the operations, he added. The Bruzdzinski family adopt chicks at First State Animal Center and SPCA on Friday, May 16, 2025, in Camden, Delaware. Mingson Lau / AP Among the birds were young turkeys, geese and quail, but the vast majority were Freedom Ranger chicks. One concern for the shelter, Parana explained, was the increasing demand for space and feed over time, as Freedom Rangers take about ten weeks to reach maturity. The Delaware Department of Agriculture, after a call from USPS, directed the animals to the shelter, which shares a memorandum of understanding with the animal center as a state vendor. The department said it is responsible for assisting the shelter with funds — for chickens, the rate was $5 each per day. The department's chief of planning, Jimmy Kroon, said negotiations were ongoing, but Parana claims that the department communicated that they had no funds to allocate for the chicks. Both acknowledged the original rate would be unreasonable in the current circumstances. "They said that they're gonna try to go after the post office to get recoupment," Parana said. "That doesn't help us in the meantime."
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Shipment of thousands of chicks found abandoned in USPS truck now overwhelming an animal shelter
CAMDEN, Delaware — A Delaware animal shelter is trying to care for and rehome thousands of chicks that survived being left in a postal service truck for three days. Trapped in a warm enclosure, without food and water, thousands died before they were discovered. Involved parties are still awaiting answers as to how 12,000 chicks were abandoned within the truck at a Delaware mail distribution center. The United States Postal Service said in an email that it was aware of a process breakdown and was actively investigating what occurred.
