Key West, Florida — In Key West, Florida, it’s not just tourists flocking to town, wild chickens have found their tropical paradise.
And Key West City Commissioner Clayton Lopez has a problem. They’re “everywhere,” he says, and entire families of chickens are often seen crossing the roadways.
A resolution introduced by Lopez, which became law, prohibits feeding chickens on public property.
“What I’m trying to do is try to solve health problems for humans, as well as chickens,” Lopez said.
Chickens can cause property damage and their droppings can spread diseases. They are sometimes run over by cars and their chicks can fall into sewers. Then there are roosters, who crow at all hours.
Although the rescued chickens are sent to farms on the Florida mainland, it is impossible to catch them all.
But how did this happen?
“This is the oldest image we have of chickens in Key West,” said Corey Malcolm, senior historian at the Florida Keys History Center, explaining that it’s a story about tail feathers.
“Chickens were a big part of early Key West,” Malcolm said.
They were brought in the 1820s by early settlers who, according to Malcolm, “sold them by the dozen to the people here.” Then, in the 1860s, a Cuban migration arrived.
“One of the traditions that came from Cuba was cockfighting,” Malcolm said. “… The tradition of raising chickens continued from the early 1900s until World War II.”
At that time, the ease with which eggs and meat could be obtained from supermarkets meant that owners let their chickens roam free on an island two by four miles, with no natural predators.
In 1986, Florida banned cockfighting and the roosters were released. Then, in 1998, Hurricane George spread them all over the island and they have been multiplying ever since.
Mitigation measures failed, and a chicken catcher employed by the city in the 2000s resigned after swift backlash from chicken lovers.
Today, the chickens have become as much of a tourist attraction as the southernmost point buoy. They are also popular in souvenir shops.
“They’re everywhere, yeah, that’s good for me,” said Arthur Bakala, owner of three chicken-themed stores in Key West.
Inside his chicken-themed wine and coffee bar, there are statues, paintings, t-shirts, mugs and everything in between, all part of the island’s chicken culture.
In Key West, it’s chicken world, and we just live in it.
