10,000 chickens dead after break-in at N.S. poultry farm

RCMP in Nova Scotia’s Lunenburg County say about 10,000 chickens are dead after a break-in at a poultry barn.

Police said Tuesday that officers were called on Saturday at about 9:50 a.m. to respond to a report that a barn on Naugler Road in Pine Grove, N.S., had been broken into.

Cpl. Mandy Edwards said people entered the barn through a door and turned off ventilation fans that regulate the temperature.

As a result, the temperature inside part of the barn increased to about 37 C, leading to the death of about 10,000 chickens.

Edwards said the barn had two levels, and the ventilation on the upper level continued to operate, so only the chickens on the bottom level were affected.

“When the owners came out the next morning, they could smell before they saw what had happened,” she said.

Officers believe the incident happened around 9:45 p.m. on Friday.

Edwards said there is no indication anything was stolen in the break-in.

“As you can imagine, this is a deliberate homicide of thousands of chickens with no other evidence of a crime except their death,” she said.

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Edwards said the property owner will now be left to deal with the carcasses.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident — including dashcam or home surveillance footage — to contact them or Crime Stoppers.

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