Thousands of hens saved from Turlock egg plant | News

TURLOCK, CA - So many hens died at an egg production facility west of Turlock that Stanislaus County workers are using a front-loader to carry their carcasses to waiting dump trucks.

An estimated one-third of the 50,000 chickens at the facility died over the past two weeks when their owner walked away from the operation without telling anyone.

Despite no food and limited water, thousands of hens have survived the neglect.

"We actually had a concerned citizen call us two days ago and mention there was a concern about chickens that had been abandoned," Stanislaus Animal Services Agency spokesperson Annette Patton said. "They were left here two weeks ago unfed and unwatered. Unspeakable. Truly unspeakable, what we actually came upon."

Around 4 p.m. Thursday, rescue organizations were allowed to go into large buildings and start removing the surviving hens.

Members of the rescue organization were frustrated as they waited for official clearance to go into the facility.

"It is unconscionable that they're not letting us on the property," Animal Place Marji Beach said. "There are birds we can hear in there that are still alive amid all these dead bodies. It is just horrific that they are still out there and they are not letting us help these birds."

Even in an animal cruelty case this egregious, county officials said the property owner still has potential property rights.

As for the owner of the hens who rented the property, Andy Keung Cheung, he might believe he made a good business decision by abandoning the chickens, but he could face felony charges because of it.

Cheung did not return any calls made by News10.