California Highway Patrol rescues loose chickens from the freeway

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The California Highway Patrol was called to a section of freeway to round up more than a dozen chickens running loose in the roadway.

The CHP said troopers responded about 6:09 a.m. Tuesday to the 605 Freeway in the Norwalk-Downey area after more than a dozen chickens escaped from a cage that fell from the back of a truck.

The road was temporarily closed due to "live chickens in all lanes," and the CHP tweeted about 8 a.m. that officers had managed to rescue 17 chickens, but two that were struck by vehicles "went to chicken heaven."

The truck driver was unaware of the cage's fall and drove away from the scene, the CHP said. It was unclear whether the driver would face any charges or fines.

"We took these guys into custody without any trouble. They were too chicken to fight," the CHP tweeted with photos of the rescued chickens.