An Ontario farm was hit by thieves a second time, losing an additional 15,000 chicks.
By Andrew Joseph, Farms.com; Photo by Zoe Schaeffer on Unsplash
According to the Ontario Provincial Police in Huron County, a farm in South Huron, near Exeter, Ontario, has reported its second large-scale theft of chicks since April 2023.
It is believed that the first batch of chicks—30,000—were stolen from the farm on April 19 or 20, which left police puzzled as to how the thief (thieves) fled the scene with so many birds.
With this latest theft—supposedly stolen in mid-May—an additional 15,000 chicks are missing. According to the police, the farmer realized the chick count was off by some 15,000 birds, but they did not immediately report it.
The cost of a baby chick can range from $1 to $5, depending on the breed. Note that chickens are considered chicks when younger than four weeks of age.
At the time of the first theft from this Ontario farm, the cost per chick was $1.42, which means the combined replacement cost is $63,900.
Of course, that’s just a replacement cost. These baby chicks would have been grown into started pullets or laying hens, too, meaning this farmer has lost a lot of poultry income.