11 chickens beaten to death with sticks and shovels
Alameda, CA (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Jun 12, 2011
County: Alameda

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:
» juvenile male
» juvenile male

Two boys, 12 and 9, used shovels to bludgeon 11 chickens to death at an urban farm that serves hundreds of poor families in the San Francisco Bay Area, cops said.

Cops arrested the two on animal cruelty charges days after local children who cared for the chickens found the coop littered with dead birds on Sunday.

Six chickens were spared, and one was missing, police said.

"I wanted to cry and was holding back tears because I used to go out every morning and feed the chickens and play with them," local volunteer Cary Proctor, 12, told CBS San Francisco.

The older boy was busted on Tuesday after locals reported seeing him and another boy climb the coop's fence.

"(The suspect) was blaming other juveniles, but (he was seen) hurting the chickens with sticks and shovels," Alameda police Sgt. Wayland Gee told CBS.

His younger pal was collared on Wednesday.

The 12-year-old was from Oakland and 9-year-old was from Hayward, about 20 minutes away, but cops didn't identify either.

The urban farm is part of the Alameda Point Collective, a supportive housing community built on the site of an old naval air station in Alameda, Calif.

Collaborative workers used the farm to teach kids how to grow food and care for animals.

Officials at the farm said the slaughter couldn't have come at a worse time.

The chickens were ready to lay eggs, which local kids sold to pay for activities like camping trips and a community Thanksgiving dinner, Doug Biggs, the group's executive director said.

Biggs said the farm was out around $500, but a nearby school had donated 10 chicks to replace the ones that were killed. Local cops were also pitching in funds.

Biggs told CBS that the two accused boys "had real emotional issues."

"I'd like to see those issues addressed. I'm not for retribution. I'm for learning," he said.

References

• « Back to Search Results
  « CA State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Alameda County, CA

  Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.
  
  For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.