The superintendent of the building near the U.N. said he uses his basement condo as a temporary home for mail-order chicks.
"I'm raising chickens because I plan to retire," the super, John Hyranyaz, told the New York Post in Tuesday editions.
But he denied raising the animals at the building. "Everyone sees them, so they think I'm raising them," he said.
Instead, Hyranyaz said the peeps only get to stay at his apartment for a day before he transports them to his farm in upstate Binghamton. He said he also orders geese and rabbits.
Recently, he was keeping more than 50 brown-and-white mottled chicks in a pen.
"I live here. I get them all the time," the 62-year-old said.
The building is home to many U.N. diplomats and some of its two-bedroom condos are advertised at up to $1.8 million.
