Brooklyn police investigate abandoned chickens found in U-Hauls

Police and animal rights activists discovered hundreds of chickens, many of them dead, abandoned in two U-Haul trucks in Brooklyn on Friday. The first vehicle was found on Winthrop Avenue, containing approximately 200 birds in crates, with only about 80 remaining alive. A second unattended truck was located roughly 1.5 miles away at 910 St. Johns Place.

Activists, including Rina Deych of the Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos, stated the birds were likely intended for Kaporos, a pre-Yom Kippur ritual performed by a small number of Orthodox Jews. The practice involves waving a chicken to symbolically transfer sins before the animal is slaughtered. Critics and advocates described the storage conditions—with birds stacked high in cramped crates—as excruciatingly cruel.

Local residents reported significant odors resulting from the scene. The New York City Police Department is currently investigating the incident.