Rumors that numerous chickens were being mistreated or killed at a park-and-ride lot in Monsey turned out to be unfounded yesterday.The chickens were brought to the Route 59 county facility on Tuesday night and were intended to be used in a Jewish holiday ritual.

During mid-morning yesterday, about 4,000 of the fowl roamed beneath a large white tent pitched on the grounds in the rear of the property.

Ramapo Police Capt. James Quinn said authorities were initially called by concerned witnesses who saw some of the birds get loose.

The Hudson Valley Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Rockland County Health Department and the Monsey Fire Department also responded.

Tim Hekl, of the county Health Department, said his department got a complaint that there were “chickens running all over the place.”

Although an inspection found that some of the chickens had gotten loose and that there were some dead birds, there was no wrongdoing, Hekl said.

The county had been aware of the ritual and the department’s only concern was that the area remained free of the birds’ fecal matter, he said.

“Now last year when they had the same situation, the rabbis that were doing the ceremonies cleaned up the area to our complete satisfaction,” Hekl said, adding that those in charge had again promised to keep the area clean.

The department will inspect the site twice a day until the end of the holidays, he added.

There was no evidence of cruelty, said Marc Kissel, a peace officer with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

A local veterinarian who is experienced with handling livestock believed the birds’ were being kept in satisfactory conditions, Kissel said, adding that the people in charge of the large confinement area were receptive to suggestions for improving care.

“I’ve been satisfied … that they’re working with us to listen to us and to make things as good as they can while the chickens are here,” he said.

The kaparot ritual, which is traditionally performed during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, involves waving a chicken — a rooster for a man, and a hen for a woman — over one’s head while saying a prayer. The birds are later sent to slaughter and given to the poor.

Kissel also said he was assured that the ritual was not harmful to the chickens, “that they’re not, as the rumor had it, taken by the back legs and swung in circles” above a person’s head.

The Monsey Fire Department was called to provide additional water for the chickens, Quinn said.

TJN