Chickens seized during routine Iowa City traffic stop

UPDATE: Seven chickens are being quarantined until Friday after being confiscated during a routine traffic stop.

An Iowa State Patrol trooper pulled over a vehicle Monday afternoon and found the birds in cages in the back seat, said Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center Director Misha Goodman. The driver's name and the location of the traffic stop were not released.

The driver was unable to provide the officer with specifics about the chickens and had no documentation for them, so they were confiscated and brought to the animal shelter.

Goodman said the birds were quarantined in a separate area and would be examined and checked for diseases before being released. Charges are not expected unless the test results indicate mistreatment.

Goodman said the chickens were confiscated because state agricultural laws that prohibit bringing livestock across state lines without health certificates were violated. The vehicle had traveled from another state and was pulled over on the Johnson County and Iowa County border, and there was no proof of where the chickens came from.

An Iowa Department of Natural Resources officer said the driver was cited for also having squirrels in the vehicle.