Shipping mishap leaves thousands of stranded baby birds in Dover

DOVER, Del. – Authorities are working to find answers after thousands of orphaned baby birds were recovered from a misdirected USPS shipment.

On May 2nd, the Delaware Department of Agriculture responded to the USPS Delaware Processing and Distribution Center in Dover for an undeliverable box of baby birds. The chicks were transferred to First State Animal Center. Officials say the shipments were bound for destinations all over the United States.

That evening, officials said First State Animal Center staff worked tirelessly to care for at least 10,000 birds. The flock included chicks, turkeys, geese, quail and chukars. Officials said the birds were shipped from Freedom Ranger Hatchery in Pennsylvania on April 29th. Because of an inadequate environment for an extended period, about 4,000 of the birds were dead by the time they arrived at First State Animal Center, officials said.

The surviving birds were rehabilitated and eventually rehomed to responsible caretakers, according to the Department of Agriculture. The First State Animal Center will make an announcement next week about how the public may get involved in adopting the rescued birds.

Meanwhile, officials are working to figure out how the misshipment happened. The Freedom Ranger Hatchery is a National Poultry Improvement Plan-certified, Avian Influenza, and Pullorum-Typhoid clean hatchery, officials said. They are unsure of how the birds ended up in Delaware.

According to the Department of Agriculture, as many as 2,000 of the birds were labeled for delivery to Spokane, Washington. The hatchery is investigating.