Kaporos is a traditional practice observed before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Participants hold a live chicken by the wings or legs and swing them nine times above their heads before the bird is slaughtered.
Those who take part in Kaporos believe that their sins are transferred to the chicken, but the practice has become rare, as most participants now use a bag of coins rather than a live bird to avoid causing any animals to suffer. Activists, including many Jewish people, have advocated for such alternatives for years and helped to inspire this humane shift.
Farm Sanctuary spoke with Kaporos Compassion Project and with Jill Carnegie, who was coordinating the massive New York City rescue effort, and we happily agreed to welcome 10 roosters, saved from the second truck, to their new home at our Upstate New York shelter.
The birds were all quickly tended to by our caregivers and examined by veterinarian Dr. Brian Collins, and will join their flock once health checks clear them to be among their new feathered friends.
