| Along with sourdough baking and daytrading, people flocked to backyard chicken rearing as a shutdown hobby, driven by a desire for fresh eggs and a reason to avoid the grocery store. But as Food & Wine reports, a chicken rehoming crisis is underway. Whether due to regulations banning roosters within city limits or realizing that chicken rearing is more than a cottagecore vibe, would-be urban farmers have given up thousands of pandemic hens and roosters in recent months, putting a strain on the animal sanctuaries attempting to place these birds with new families. One overwhelmed sanctuary that spends upwards of $20,000 annually on veterinary care for its 150 chickens had to stop accepting new birds. Meanwhile, the U.K.’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals handled nearly 2,000 chickens last year that were abandoned or given up. It’s definitely something to squawk about. |
