tangent4ronpaul
04-15-2011, 12:12 PM
http://www.nola.com/pets/index.ssf/2011/04/feral_chickens_have_proliferat.html
Since Hurricane Katrina, Ruby Melton's 9th Ward enclave has welcomed a new species of neighbor: clucking, crowing, prancing chickens that dart across streets and nest in the trees.
"We don't have stray dogs any more," said Melton, 68. "But everyone I talk to has stray chickens."
Most people figure that the wild birds descended from domesticated fowl that escaped backyard coops after the storm. Since then, the population has boomed, with the local SPCA chapter now dispatching officers weekly to catch feral chickens, spokeswoman Katherine LeBlanc said.
Most calls hinge on neighbors' irritation with ear-piercing squawks, she said, rather than complaints about chicken droppings or attacks on pets or children. The birds don't appear to be fugitives from the growing number of New Orleans homesteaders who raise chickens for eggs and meat.
Animal control officers place the stray chickens with a farmer they call the Chicken Man, LeBlanc said, noting that capturing the creatures is "extremely hard" and often requires the effort of several officers.
The job hasn't proved as vexing for a band of swift, persevering kids who have invested countless hours stalking and nabbing the feathered bandits
...
they admitted to a knack for capturing chickens that roost in nearby trees. They sneak up and grab the birds over their wings, and they try to avoid the roosters' spurs, which can tear deeply into flesh, said Nas Jackson, 12.
...
Other cities have waged high-profile battles with chickens. After neighbors complained last year, animal-control workers in the Bronx removed 35 chickens that were "believed to be the city's largest brood of wild chickens," according to a newspaper report.
Philadelphia, Miami and Phoenix also have also had dustups over the birds. A few years ago, Key West, Fla., hired a municipal chicken wrangler to keep its bird populations under control.
In New Orleans, neighbors in the 7th, 8th or 9th wards seem fond of the chickens, despite a few gripes.
Hens protective of their chicks recently lunged at Brenda Stewart's Shih Tzu puppy, which is now terrified of them, she said. After moving into a new apartment after Katrina, Ruby Melton's son, Doyle, discovered a crowing rooster living in a tree on the lot.
"At 5:30 in the morning, that's an annoying sound," he said. "But other than that, they don't bother me."
...
"We just watch the chickens live free," said Young, recalling a man who once asked if she owns the chickens. "I said, 'I don't own them. They're just ours. We feed them.'"
Since Hurricane Katrina, Ruby Melton's 9th Ward enclave has welcomed a new species of neighbor: clucking, crowing, prancing chickens that dart across streets and nest in the trees.
"We don't have stray dogs any more," said Melton, 68. "But everyone I talk to has stray chickens."
Most people figure that the wild birds descended from domesticated fowl that escaped backyard coops after the storm. Since then, the population has boomed, with the local SPCA chapter now dispatching officers weekly to catch feral chickens, spokeswoman Katherine LeBlanc said.
Most calls hinge on neighbors' irritation with ear-piercing squawks, she said, rather than complaints about chicken droppings or attacks on pets or children. The birds don't appear to be fugitives from the growing number of New Orleans homesteaders who raise chickens for eggs and meat.
Animal control officers place the stray chickens with a farmer they call the Chicken Man, LeBlanc said, noting that capturing the creatures is "extremely hard" and often requires the effort of several officers.
The job hasn't proved as vexing for a band of swift, persevering kids who have invested countless hours stalking and nabbing the feathered bandits
...
they admitted to a knack for capturing chickens that roost in nearby trees. They sneak up and grab the birds over their wings, and they try to avoid the roosters' spurs, which can tear deeply into flesh, said Nas Jackson, 12.
...
Other cities have waged high-profile battles with chickens. After neighbors complained last year, animal-control workers in the Bronx removed 35 chickens that were "believed to be the city's largest brood of wild chickens," according to a newspaper report.
Philadelphia, Miami and Phoenix also have also had dustups over the birds. A few years ago, Key West, Fla., hired a municipal chicken wrangler to keep its bird populations under control.
In New Orleans, neighbors in the 7th, 8th or 9th wards seem fond of the chickens, despite a few gripes.
Hens protective of their chicks recently lunged at Brenda Stewart's Shih Tzu puppy, which is now terrified of them, she said. After moving into a new apartment after Katrina, Ruby Melton's son, Doyle, discovered a crowing rooster living in a tree on the lot.
"At 5:30 in the morning, that's an annoying sound," he said. "But other than that, they don't bother me."
...
"We just watch the chickens live free," said Young, recalling a man who once asked if she owns the chickens. "I said, 'I don't own them. They're just ours. We feed them.'"