Chickens running on California freeway saved by officers
Officers used pieces of cardboard to help corral the chickens.
— -- Why did the chickens cross the freeway? To cause a traffic jam, of course!
California Highway Patrol officers chased after at least 19 chickens who were running loose on the 605 Freeway early Tuesday morning southeast of Los Angeles.
Officers had to divert traffic for about 15 minutes in order to get the chickens to safety, ruffling some commuters' feathers.
Officers used pieces of cardboard on the side of the freeway to help corral the chickens, and animal control responded to help.
Seventeen chickens were rescued and taken to a nearby animal shelter. However, two chickens died on the side of the road and seven of the rescued 17 had to be euthanized due to injuries they suffered.
It is still unclear how the chickens got onto the freeway.
"We have no trucks that stopped and no cages found on the roadway," CHP officer Jeremy Tolen told ABC Los Angeles station KABC. "So we're not exactly sure how they came to be on the roadway."
CHP said the owner of the chickens must claim them before Jan. 6 or they will be put up for adoption.