WALTON COUNTY, Ga. — Walton County firefighters are still investigating what caused a fire that burned 14,000 chickens.
It happened last month at Sunshine Farms. Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers spoke to the family who owned the farm.
They’ve had that farm in their family for nearly 30 years. They told me the chickens they raise end up in our grocery bags to put meals on our tables.
Claudia Ramos told Rogers on the morning of Jan. 13, she got a call from her mother.
“She said that one of the chicken houses was on fire,” Ramos said.
It was over 14,000 chickens. They lost all of them.
Ramos says the chickens that were burned were less than a week away from being taken to the plant.
“They lost half of the income of what they would normally get. That’s a big hit, because, obviously, that’s your income, that’s your livelihood. Farming industry is hard on anyone,” Ramos said.
Ramos says her father, a retired veterinarian from Peru, immigrated and started Sunshine farms in 1998.
“This is a big, you know, defeat,” Ramos said.
It’s one not only for the family but she says for anyone who goes to the grocery store.
“In the state of Georgia, 14,000 chickens, 14,000 meals,” Ramos said.
The farm has a GoFundMe link for those who want to help in its recovery.
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