What's going to happen to the Snettisham chickens ?

Locals in Snettisham, near Hunstanton, agreed to rehome some of the flock and form a group to ensure they are properly fed and looked after hearing concerns over the creatures' welfare.

Some say the birds are noisy and dig up their gardens, while scraps left out for them are attracting rats.   

Others want them left in piece because they add to the village's rural charm and have been there for many years.

The birds' fate was discussed at the village's annual parish assembly on Tuesday night, before the matter was put to the vote.

Some 35 voted to remove some of the birds, with the help of charity Fresh Start for Hens, which rehomes thousands of ex-battery and free range chickens each year.

Just six voted for the chickens to be left where they are along Common Road.

Villagers vote to reduce the flock of feral chickens on the outskirts of Snettisham (Image: Chris Bishop)

ANIMAL LOVER ABUSED

Retired HR worker Vanessa Taylor, 72, travels daily from her home in Heacham to feed the chickens.

"I've seen people kick them, I've seen people drive at them," she said. "And I've had people drive at me when I've been feeding them.

"The only way to deal with this situation is to have them all removed. I will happily help in any way I can."

Vanessa Taylor, who feeds the chickens, addresses the meeting (Image: Chris Bishop)

After the meeting, Mrs Taylor added: "I've been called every filthy word you can imagine, I've been told I'm fly-tipping and I should be done.

"I just want to see them looked after properly and re-homed." 

WELFARE CONCERNS

Vicky Sewell (second from left) from Fresh Start for Hens, speaks at the meeting (Image: Chris Bishop)

Snettisham Parish Council called in Fresh Start for Hens after receiving complaints about the chickens.

Vicky Sewell, a volunteer with its Watton branch, said the charity had a no-cull policy.

"I can promise you that they would all be re-homed, including the cockerels," she said.

Mrs Sewell said the flock had "far too many cockerels and not enough hens".

Some of the feral flock living on the outskirts of Snettisham (Image: Chris Bishop)

She added some of the birds were mal-nourished and had painful ailments such as skin conditions and scaly leg. 

But she admitted reducing their numbers would take a lot of planning when it came to catching them.

"Our over-riding concern is the welfare of these birds," she said. "That's where we are."

WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

Some of the chickens and cockerels living beside Common Road, at Snettisham (Image: Chris Bishop)

The meeting heard conflicting views regarding how long the birds had been a feature on leafy Common Road.

So far, the parish council has been unable to establish who owns the land.

Villager David Bocking said locals had been encouraged to keep poultry on the site during the Second World War.

David Bocking said there had been chickens on the site since the Second World War (Image: Chris Bishop)

"I wouldn't want to see chickens go because they're part and parcel of the village," he added.

But he also warned: "There's one cockerel you won't ever catch - that's the one on Snettisham Church."

Eric Langford said a man who tended an allotment on the land had kept chickens but the birds had been left to their own devices after he passed away before the Covid pandemic.

Eric Langford addressing the meeting (Image: Chris Bishop)

The meeting also heard people had been exacerbating the problem by dumping cockerels.

Others said they wanted the birds to stay - and people should not buy homes in rural areas if they didn't like their feathered neighbours. 

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?

Some of the birds living on the outskirts of Snettisham (Image: Chris Bishop)

Parish clerk Roberta Mason said the council did not own the land and the chickens were not its responsibility, but it wanted to help the village and the birds.

She added: "We are here today because people have complained but we're also here because there's a serious welfare problem, the hens aren't healthy."

She said she had contacted DEFRA, which "hadn't been any help at all".

The chickens live on land off Common Road, at Snettisham (Image: Chris Bishop)

She added that she had contacted West Norfolk Council about the rats attracted by dumped food scraps, but "they have no one to enforce the rat problem against, because no one owns the rats".

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The parish council will work with Fresh Start for Hens to help the charity work to reduce the size of the flock.

A group of villagers will also be formed to keep an eye on the birds and ensure they are properly fed in the meantime.