Middleburg Bird Auction, PA 6/26/10

ANIMALS’ ANGELS investigators arrived at the auction at 11:30am; the temperature was 88 degrees Fahrenheit. Some cages with chicken were overcrowded and did not allow the birds to turn or move. The cage floors were bare wire and did not have a wood platform for the birds or small animals to stand on. Despite the hot day, the cages also did not have any water. Two roosters were located in cages next to each other. The roosters began fighting, pecking and spurring each other. Investigators attempted to stop the fighting but could not. No one from the auction wanted to move the cages apart. The roosters kept sticking their heads and necks through the cage wire and when one bird would get temporarily stuck, the other bird would spur him. After 20 minutes the birds calmed down.