Owner Of Thousands Of Chickens Pushes Back Against Animal Cruelty Allegations

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – A group of animal activists is looking to place thousands of chickens in new homes after they said the animals were neglected on a West Valley City property.

However, the owner of the birds said disturbing images of the chickens circulating online have been taken out of context.

The images appear to show dead and malnourished chickens roaming aimlessly on the West Valley property with little food and shelter in sight.

“We don’t really know where these birds come from,” said Taleen Perkins, who has been designated a driver in the effort to buy and resell the chickens to new homes. “They had a huge number of them dying, they weren’t feeding they weren’t watering. They had zero shelter out in the beating sun.”

“It’s heartbreaking. I love chickens and I’ve always had pet chickens,” Perkins said.

But like so many other things you see online, the owner told KSL TV over text that the images online don’t tell the whole story.

“Obviously, we are very distraught about the types of allegations in the video. Although we share the public’s concern, we know the video was taken out of context,” the owner wrote. “We rescued the chickens ourselves from a commercial hen house that was going to gas them the next day and have been re-homing them back to health.”

West Valley Animal Services said the chickens were purchased in poor condition from an egg farm in Colorado before the chickens were going to be slaughtered. The owner made two trips that ultimately brought more than 4,000 of the birds to the property.

The city only allows 1,000 chickens on a property.

Perkins said they’ve heard different stories about where the chickens came from called this and one “far-fetched.”

“Even now as we’re still getting them as of yesterday, the minute we bring them here everybody just runs for the food and water because they don’t have it where they’re being kept,” Perkins said.

“We’ve made all the necessary accommodations for the birds,” Perkins said. “We’ve been working in cooperation with animal control and all regulatory agencies to address any concerns that have been circulating and to make sure this is done in a method as humane as possible.”

Perkins said they’ve already purchased thousands of the birds from the property for $6/chicken. They nourish the birds and have been reselling them to new homes at the same price.

“That’s all we’re trying to do is get these guys into loving homes where they’re going to be cared for properly,” Perkins added.

Animal Services also confirmed the West Valley property has been vandalized and said that some people have trespassed onto their property to take videos and pictures.