More than 100 living chicks and 60 dead ones have been dumped in two separate batches at the side of two Cambridgeshire roads, the RSPCA has said.
Some 26 live birds were abandoned along Franks Lane in the village of Newton on 29 March, the charity revealed.
That had been followed on 13 April by 81 living chicks and 60 dead ones being left by the North Road near Wisbech. Nine joints of meat and a quantity of sawdust had also been offloaded there.
The RSPCA said the two incidents were probably connected with the animals possibly dumped by someone who had been hoping to sell them as Easter pets.
Inspector Justin Stubbs, who collected the second find, said: “Whoever dumped these birds had effectively left them to die.
“They had no access to nearby food or water or shelter from predators and, had they not been found, then sadly the rest would have perished as well.”
He added: “As you can imagine, having to care for a large number of chicks and finding space for them can prove to be difficult, but we are grateful to a number of people who have come forward to offer homes to these birds.”
They living animals are now being cared for at the RSPCA's Block Fen Animal Centre, near Ely.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the charity.
