Residents of Snettisham, Norfolk, say birds are destroying their gardens, while food left out for them is attracting rats

The clucking nuisance of about 100 feral chickens has left residents of a Norfolk village spitting feathers, with locals claiming the birds destroy their gardens and keep them awake.

Dwellers in Snettisham, Norfolk, have said their life is being made “hell” as the chickens swarm in from a nearby wood. It is unclear who owns the land the chickens live on, but villagers believe numbers have soared recently.

They also complained of an influx of people travelling to see the birds and leaving food for them, which is attracting rats. This has created a febrile atmosphere, with reports of rising tensions between residents and visitor

  • Jayjader@jlai.lu
    6·
    7 months ago

    If the entire village is in agreement that the chickens are a nuisance, and they are indeed wreaking havoc on people’s gardens, etc: the villagers collectively setting up traps would be justified.

    At some point, either whoever owns those chickens needs to pick up the slack and corral them, or they need to suck it up when the villagers take matters into their own hands.

    • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.ukOPMEnglish
      3·
      7 months ago

      the villagers collectively setting up traps would be justified.

      Do you really need a trap for a chicken? They are hardly the most cunning of creatures - just pick one up.

      The major issue is that most people aren’t used to killing and preparing animals but a canny local butcher could offer a “slaughtered while you wait” service for a couple of quid and the problem would go away in a week. Although if they were that canny there’d be a trail of corn leading to the slaughter room. I’m surprised a cheeky chicken shop hasn’t sent to lads down in a van because that’s basically free chickens.