Ontario farmer charged with faking theft of 45,000 chicks

A South Huron, Ontario, farmer who claimed in 2023 that 45,000 baby chicks were stolen from his property has now been charged with fraud and public mischief after a two-year investigation.

The Ontario Provincial Police allege the man, identified as 41-year-old Henk Veldman, fabricated the theft and “disposed of” the chicks himself. The monetary value of the alleged loss was estimated at more than $139,000.

The bizarre case began on April 20, 2023, when police received a report that 30,000 15-day-old broiler chickens had been taken overnight from a South Huron farm. According to CBC News, that number was later increased to 45,000 following a second reported theft in May. Veldman personally reported both incidents to local authorities.

The allegations quickly drew attention across Ontario’s farming community, where producers questioned how such a large number of chicks could be removed from isolated barns without detection.

“I can’t fathom it,” Napanee-area egg producer Max Kaiser reportedly said at the time, following the first cataloged theft. “This was ballsy but what was the plan? What, when, how, why? I can’t imagine a plan that accommodates 30,000 birds.”

Investigators now say no theft occurred. According to multiple news sources, police believe Veldman staged the crime and submitted a fraudulent insurance claim. They have not recovered the chicks and stated that their fate remains unknown, though they suspect they were intentionally “disposed of.”

Veldman was arrested on May 6, 2025, and released pending a court appearance scheduled for May 26 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Goderich. He faces one count of fraud over $5,000 and one count of public mischief.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.