There's a new debate stirring in Abbeville. It involves a city councilman, two neighbors and a flock of chickens.
Abbeville resident, Winifred Mouton says there are free-range chickens roaming her neighborhood, and they've become a nuisance.
"There's too many chickens around all in the neighborhood. They be all under the house, digging holes and stuff we just need to get rid of them. They're loud... I mean the rooster, the chickens, they're very loud," Mouton said.
Mouton says, the problem started a few years ago, when one resident brought chickens on his property. At that time, they were caged. But, Mouton says the chickens have multiplied and are now free to roam the streets.
The accused resident wanted to remain anonymous, but he tells KATC the free-range birds are not his.
"All the chickens I had, I sold... other than that I don't know where these (chickens) came from. I have no idea where they came from, the wind could have brought them in, I don't know," the resident said.
And, that's exactly what Abbeville Councilman Francis Touchet says is the problem. According to a city ordinance, the owner of wild game, including chickens, is responsible for containing them. But, since no one is claiming them, the city must now step in.
"What we are now faced with is trying to contain these chickens, get them removed from the site and getting some kind of caged mechanism," Touchet said.
The city council is working with the Abbeville police chief to catch the pecking pests. Mouton says they're hoping to capture the chickens and remove them from the residential area within the next couple of weeks.
The chickens would then be taken to a veterinarian clinic where an owner would have 72 hours to claim them. If an owner does not come forward by that time, the clinic can sell the birds for profit.


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