Chickens in two-flat may have been used for fights

By Admin on September 30, 2009

Police checking up on a man in a West Humboldt Park two-flat found him dead this morning, then discovered more than a dozen chickens in the basement — a few of them possibly used for fighting, police said.

Chicago Police Lt. Scott Schwieger said the 16 chickens were found along with coops and cages and appeared “well-cared for.”

Police and firefighters had gone to the building in the 1500 block of North Kolin Avenue about 9 a.m. to check up on a man staying there, Schwieger said. They found the man had apparently been dead for a number of days, he said.

The man, whose identity was not being released this afternoon but was said to be in his 50s, may have been “raising or watching” the animals, officials said. An autopsy for the man is scheduled for Thursday.

The animals have been turned over to the Chicago Commission on Animal Care and Control. Mark Rosenthal, the operations manager for the agency. He said at least three of the chickens were fully grown.

“They didn’t look in distress…They looked normal,” Rosenthal said.

If no one claims the chickens for seven days, they’ll become city property. The city will then make  arrangements to transfer them to someone who can find them a home.

–Jeremy Gorner
 

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