These Roaming Chickens are Ruffling Bastrop Residents’ Feathers

The flock of chickens roam the city freely, and are protected by law.

By Joy Diaz and Alain StephensOctober 7, 2015 9:31 am

Since 2009, chickens are legally free to roam a paved road in Bastrop called Farm Street – there’s even a sign that says so. The stretch of road is home to an historic chicken sanctuary. But now there’s so many chickens migrating into other roads in people’s yards, it’s creating considerable chaos.

Ken Kesselus, the mayor of Bastrop, says he doesn’t give one cluck – if they wander away from safety, they might be fair game.

“I do care about them. If people want them in their yards, they have a right to have them. It’s when they go into a yard where they dont want them, or they’re in the street where they don’t belong,” Kesselus says. “Half the people in this community probably like the chickens – some people protect them…There are other who see them as a nuisance.”

Many complaints have been about the roosters who crow late at night and keep people awake.

“We’ve had quite a number of people who have been really irritated and called our animal control people to round them up when they’re outside the protected zone – but they’re very difficult to catch.”

Listen to the full interview in the player above.