For years, Mission City residents have wondered what to do about
the chickens roaming their streets, fouling their yards and crowing
at the crack of dawn.
For years, Mission City residents have wondered what to do about the chickens roaming their streets, fouling their yards and crowing at the crack of dawn. Now the city of San Juan Bautista is about to set off another round in it’s Great Poultry Debate by introducing an ordinance to make it illegal to feed feral chickens.
It seems amusing at first, but as events unfolded at a recent city council meeting, it became clear that residents have very strong feelings about the fowl. During the meeting, there was a proposal to bring the Hollister Independence Rally to the Mission City. Several people spoke passionately about that issue. But when the discussion was over, very few left the packed chambers. Though the prospect of tens of thousands of wild-eyed Harley riders descending on their quaint town piqued the interest of many residents, it seems just as many, if not more, had come to say their piece about the chickens.
San Juan resident Jim Pereyra summed up the problem in a nutshell.
“I know the chickens are kind of charming, and I know the tourists like it,” he said. “But they don’t have to live with the crap.”
Feral chickens have roamed the streets of San Juan for as long as anybody can remember, but in recent years many residents say the bird population has gotten out of control. In the past, the city has attempted to relocate some of the animals to farms and most chicken eggs are destroyed on sight. However, the population has managed to flourish because, the city believes, well-meaning fowl aficionados feed them.
After a meeting devoted to “Feral Chicken Population Control” last month, it was determined that the chickens defecate on and damage private property to the extent that it’s reasonable to expect the city to intervene. As a result, the city is introducing a new ordinance that would render it unlawful to feed a wild chicken within city limits.
The ordinance does not specify a fine, but the San Juan municipal code mandates that the first infraction would constitute a fine of $50, and a second within 12 months would cost $100, with an additional fine of $500 for every infraction thereafter. That seems like overkill.
Sure, post some signs discouraging people from feeding the chickens and warning them of the consequences, but passing a law to make feeding chickens a crime? That’s ludicrous. No one will enforce it anyway.
Both the city’s code enforcement officer and the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department would be in charge of the enforcing the ordinance, but Sheriff Curtis Hill made it clear that his department would have no part in the city’s fowl affairs.
“We are just not going to get involved. It’s not my concern,” Hill said. “The San Benito County Sheriff’s Department has better things to do. Period.”
So does the city of San Juan. This is an issue best handled by the residents themselves. If you don’t like the chickens, don’t feed ’em.
