Chickens die after 'anti-social behaviour' at farm

Cogges general manager Guy Reed said that being "at the heart of Witney" left the farm "exposed to anti-social behaviour"

Farm staff have said they feel "heartened" by support from the community after "antisocial-behaviour" resulted in the deaths of several rare chickens.

Cogges Manor Farm, near Witney, Oxfordshire, said on Facebook that several of its Buff Sussex chickens had died after their coop was opened during the night.

The farm pleaded with parents to tell their children it was "terribly sad loss to us, our volunteers and young visitors".

Thames Valley Police said a number of people had been detained "for stop and searches purposes" but no arrests had been made.

The farm said several Buff Sussex chickens (left) had died while their Lavender Pekin chickens (right) had their enclosures opened

Cogges is an 18-acre heritage farmstead and an award-winning family attraction.

General manager Guy Reed said sitting "at the heart of Witney" made it "part of the charm of Witney itself".

"However, our boundaries are not secure, we wouldn't want them to be, but this does leave us exposed to anti-social behaviour," he said.

In the post, the farm said it had been "the focus of a spate of antisocial behaviour incidents" in recent nights.

"On one night our chicken houses were opened, very sadly this resulted in the passing away of a few of our lovely Buff Sussex chickens, a rare breed," the post reads.

"Additionally, one of our goats was let out of his enclosure which caused him significant distress.

"We plead with all parents, who may not know were their children are in the evenings, to relay that the death of our chickens is a terribly sad loss to us, our volunteers and young visitors."

He said that in a further incident, the rare Lavender Pekin chickens had been left "vulnerable to foxes and predators" after their enclosure had been opened.

Mr Reed said they had introduced four rare breeds of chickens that year to showcase heritage British poultry "and tell the story to our visitors"

Mr Reed said the community support since the incidents had been "wonderful".

"We feel heartened by people's kind messages," he said.

"People will be vigilant and one group has volunteered to patrol at night, so incredibly kind."

He said that police increased patrols in the area and would like to reinforce a protection zone.

"We dearly hope this will deter people and protect all our livestock," he said.

"We have a vast amount of work we must undertake and now must also consider to as well upgrade our CCTV and invest in more secure hen houses.

"In the new year we will look into further fundraising."

Thames Valley Police said it had been called to a report that "three youths were trying to damage the property".

"Police officers attended and detained a number of people for stop and searches purposes. No arrests were made," a statement added.