More than a month after erecting pens to house the feral street
chickens that famously cluck and scratch their way through town,
the City of San Juan Bautista has collected approximately 90 of the
birds.
More than a month after erecting pens to house the feral street chickens that famously cluck and scratch their way through town, the City of San Juan Bautista has collected approximately 90 of the birds.
“We’re gradually trapping the crowing fowl,” said Interim City Manager Roger Grimsley. “Hopefully we can reduce the number of crowing roosters that are causing the most disturbance. We’re gradually getting a handle on it.”
During the summer, the city took steps to combat what many called a public nuisance, the roaming bands of birds that crow and cluck and roam the streets of town – entertaining many tourists but irritating some homeowners who say the racket and mess is not worth the entertainment value.
In June, the city contracted with a critter round-up firm to remove up to 100 fowl for $500 – $5 per bird. The plan was to have the company round up and remove the birds from the city and “make reasonable efforts to place the removed chickens in a suitable environment.”
The City Council pursued the bird capture plan in response to residents who complained that the birds keep them up at night and make a mess while foraging for food.
The city later put the contracted round-up plan on hold and instead built holding pens at the city yard to house birds that were brought in by residents or city public works’ employees.
“As citizens trap them, they bring them in and we deposit them in our cage,” Grimsley said. “We have several people taking them away” to live on local farms and ranches.
An estimated 85 to 90 birds have been captured and offered up for adoption. Grimsley said one farmer near Highway 129 has a large area where incorporates the former street birds with his farm-raised fowl.
