Two Bright Pink Chickens Rescued on the Waterfront in Portland, Oregon

photo by Emily Sinovic via Multnomah County Animal Services

Yesterday, two bright pink chickens were spotted wandering on the waterfront in Portland, Oregon. After Portland-area news organization KATU reported the runaway animals, an officer from Multnomah County Animal Services promptly picked up the chickens and brought them to the animal shelter for safe keeping.

Workers at the shelter say that food coloring is often used to dye chicks, an effect that lasts until the animal’s first molting. The practice of dyeing the animals is physically harmless to chicks, but some animal welfare groups frown upon it as it may discourage pet owners from seeing dyed chickens at Easter as a pet that requires a home and care for years.

North Portland resident Bruce Whitman came forward Friday afternoon to retrieve his two pet chickens, claiming that he purposefully abandoned his chickens—whose feathers he dyed with Kool-Aid, beet juice, and food dye—to elicit a response from the public.

photo via Multnomah County Animal Services

photo via Multnomah County Animal Services