Chicken rescued from bin after being left for dead

Gemma Fullick-Colgrave said the bird "was on the brink of death"

A chicken found wrapped in a carrier bag and dumped in a public bin has been saved.

The bird was discovered by refuse collector Richard Colgrave who was doing his round in Winchester at about 07:00 BST on Wednesday.

His daughter Gemma Fullick-Colgrave said her father was "disgusted" and "angered" by the animal cruelty.

After speaking with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and the RSPCA, she decided to give the bird to a local family friend who already kept chickens.

She said her father was "startled" as he initially thought the animal was dead.

He put it in his truck to "try and warm it up" and "gave it a drink and some food" while he carried on with his work.

Mrs Fullick-Colgrave took the bird off her father's hands and said: "She was very unwell, cold, her crest was very pale, and there was not really any life in her eyes.

"I think she was on the brink of death."

The chicken was wrapped in a TK Maxx carrier bag

She appealed on social media to find the owner but she says she did not get a response.

Louis Page, who has now taken the bird in, said he was "glad to be rehoming this chick", calling it "another one to join the clan".

He said she had began to settle into her new home, adding: "At first she was shy and not wanting to get along with the others but slowly she's getting more confident and has started to move about and try some food."

She is now enjoying her safe new home in Hampshire

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: "We are sad to hear that this chicken was abandoned this way and we are grateful to the member of the public who has kindly given the chicken a home.

"Sadly we are seeing rising numbers of animals being abandoned and are struggling with increasing numbers of animals coming into our care right now.

"Chickens can be very rewarding pets, but like with any animal, they have specific behavioural and environmental requirements, and it's important that people have the appropriate time, knowledge and resources in place to be able to offer them a life-long home."

The RSPCA shared figures with the BBC in July which showed reports of animal cruelty rose by a third across England and Wales in 2024.