Key West Chickens

Key West Chickens
January 16, 2008

As mentioned in the past couple of entries, we were introduced to Key West chickens during our visit to Key West. These birds are protected under the Key West Bird Sanctuary and Preserve so allowed to roam freely on the island. Tourists find them charming, quaint and photogenic. Locals find them annoying pests because of their droppings and crowing. Somewhere in between a few enterprising individuals saw a market for souvenirs depicting the Key West chicken for tourists to take home to remember the island while the locals still mutter their dislike. We heard of many enterprising ways to rid one's yard of these birds.

The chickens were originally brought to Key West in the mid 1800's for food and cock fights by Cuban immigrants. They were released and became feral so their descendants are now found throughout the island. There are no natural predators for the chickens so their population is continuing to rise. The current estimation is about 2,000 chickens and given the size of the island is only 2 miles by 4 miles that's a lot of chickens. They are protected by city ordinance and you cannot lure, entice, seize, molest or tease these birds. The penalty for do so could end up with jail time. However, a permit can be obtained for the destruction of birds that become obnoxious or destructive. The city of Key West employed an official chicken catcher to trap and transport 900 wild chickens at $20 each but local chicken lovers foiled his plans. Recently there has been the concern over avian flu so the days of the Key West chicken free rein may be numbered. That remains to be seen. In the mean time the island is divided between the chicken lovers and the chicken haters. A good site that captures both sides of the controversy is The Great Key West Chicken Debate!.