Ouseburn Farm issues urgent appeal after rare breed chickens theft
Management from a Newcastle charity farm have issued an urgent plea for the safe return of eight rare breed chickens after they were stolen in a deliberate and planned theft.
The rare breed chickens including Silkies, Bantams and Ayam Cemani, were stolen from their chicken house - Cluckingham Palace, at Ouseburn Farm, a popular and unique North East tourist attraction which also provides supportive services to adults with additional needs.
The theft, which was also caught on CCTV, involved a prepared vehicle equipped with cages, with those people responsible vaulting over padlocked gates and forcing entry into the locked chicken house. In the process, this has also caused distress to other animals in the farmyard.
Management at the farm are now asking for information from members of the public to help bring about the safe returns of the chickens.
Katie Bates, Ouseburn Farm Manager, commented, “The theft of the chickens hurts more than the monetary value as it feels like a real invasion of our space. It is a place for the whole community to enjoy and a place where our animals should be safe and secure.
“Replacing some of the chickens would cost around £400, and because of this incident, we would also like to improve our security in the farmyard to prevent this happening again. All of this is of course expensive and as a small local charity, we simply don’t have it, therefore if anyone can assist or donate to the farm, that would be much appreciated.
“We of course have footage via CCTV of the farmyard and have reported the incident to the police. However, if anyone knows any information or has been made aware of someone selling or housing these rare chickens locally, we would love to hear from them in confidence.
“We just hope that they are being looked after somewhere but can soon return to us.”
Supported by Tyne Housing Association, Ouseburn Farm in Newcastle upon Tyne is a unique visitor attraction as well as a thriving charity that provides services for adults with additional needs. The farm supports Tyne in realising its aim to ‘help people get to a better place’, hosting a range of events and activities and giving some 40,000 visitors a year the opportunity to learn about the origins of food and care for nature through engagement with farm life.