Cypress Foods stopped feeding chickens

DADE CITY, FLORIDA - About 20,000 chickens starved to death and another 180,000 will be euthanized in west-central Florida after a bankrupt poultry farm stopped feeding them. <br> <br> The chickens at Cypress Foods north of Dade City went without food for about 10 days before state agricultural officials stepped in this week. The birds were provided water. <br> <br> The chickens were knocked off their egg production cycle, so survivors will likely be euthanized, said Florida&#39;s State Veterinarian Leroy Coffman. <br> <br> ``They are spent hens. They spent their productive laying life,&#39;&#39; Coffman said. ``The best solution for these birds is to euthanize.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The 82-acre facility had about 225,000 chickens producing about 200,000 eggs a day during its last state inspection. <br> <br> Cypress Foods&#39; larger facilities in Georgia - with about 1.5 million chickens - also stopped feeding, Coffman said. <br> <br> Cypress Foods, once one of the nation&#39;s largest egg-producing companies, filed for bankruptcy in January. <br> <br> The bankruptcy court appointed Andrea Bauman of Polk County as trustee for the chicken&#39;s welfare. <br> <br> ``I don&#39;t know why (the chickens) weren&#39;t fed. All those things took place prior to us getting involved,&#39;&#39; said her lawyer, Chad Bowen. ``We have made arrangements to get the chickens fed.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Pasco County Sheriff&#39;s Office is investigating possible criminal charges.

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