OAKLAND -- By Sajid Farooq, Web Producer

A strange package caused quite a stir at the Oakland International Airport on Tuesday forcing authorities to detain a group of travelers before they could even get off the ground.

SLIDESHOW: Authorities Detain Cute Chicks At Oakland Airport

Oakland Animal Services took into custody 500 day-old chicks at the airport that were being transported by the United States Postal Service from a Santa Cruz hatchery to a destination in Washington State.

The Oakland Airport Postal Service discovered many sick and some dead chicks among the shipment of five boxes.

The workers contacted Oakland Animal Services for assistance who found 47 birds dead.

The chicks were from Cal Cruz Hatchery in Santa Cruz and by the time they reached the Oakland airport they had already been traveling for over 24 hours.

Animal Place, which frequently works with animal control agencies to help find adoptive homes for farmed animals confiscated in cruelty cases, is working to help place the chicks.

The birds were "broilers," or chickens raised for meat that are bred for rapid growth so they can be slaughtered at six weeks of age.

"Shipping chicks through the postal service is common practice," said Adam Parascandola, Oakland Animal Services director. "It is a given that many will die in route, but the losses are expected and accepted by industry. These poor chicks were less than a day old before their nightmarish journey began."

It is legal to ship young birds through the mail, as long as they are under24 hours old when presented for shipping, and delivered to the receiver within 72 hours.

The practice of sending chicks through the postal service began over 100 years ago, when the first commercial hatchery in America sent 50 chicks from New Jersey to Illinois in 1892.

Each year millions of chicks are shipped through the mail, without food or water or proper housing, and as a result, large numbers die before reaching their destination, while many more suffer unnecessarily, according to the post office.

Animal advocates have long condemned the practice.

"It should be illegal to transport any animal through the postal service, let alone day-old chicks," said Kim Sturla, Animal Place director. "This is another example of treating farmed animals as commodities and not living creatures. If only people knew the suffering that went into their roasted chicken."

The animals are all in the custody of Oakland Animal Services who are looking for a new home for them.

"I am contacting the few sanctuaries we have in California that rescue farmed animals and have not yet found a place where they can go," Sturla said. "Animal Place will be sending alerts out to our volunteers and supporters and letting folks know they will soon be available for adoption. We just want folks to have proper facility for them and be aware what some of the potential problems might be in providing care."

Anyone interested in adopting one of the chicks can contact Animal Place at 707-449-4814 or by email at info@animalplace.org.