Claire Thompson
Miami's Chicken Busters are a group of city workers who catch loose chickens and roosters in the city. The programme was launched to address complaints from residents who were inconvenienced by the birds and their morning crowing. The Chicken Busters include a city inspector, volunteer firefighters, and members of the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team, who patrol city streets with nets, trying to capture the animals on public property. Over the years, 16,000 stray chickens were trapped and sold to farms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What they do | Catch loose chickens and roosters in Miami |
| Why they do it | Chickens and roosters can transmit diseases, be a noise nuisance, and are a health hazard |
| Who they are | City workers, members of the Neighborhood Enforcement Team |
| When they do it | Every Friday morning, and occasionally other days |
| Where they do it | Streets, backyards, and public property in Miami |
| How they do it | With nets |
| Chickens caught in 2015 | 88 |
| Chickens caught by the time of writing (2017) | 146 |
| Total chickens caught | 16,000 |
| Money donated to charity | $10,000 |
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What You'll Learn
Miami's Chicken Busters catch loose chickens
Miami has a unique problem with loose chickens and roosters roaming its streets. The city's diverse culture means that many residents keep chickens as pets, for food, or for religious reasons. However, this has led to complaints from other residents who are disturbed by the noise and mess caused by these stray birds. In response to this issue, Miami created a team of Chicken Busters to catch loose chickens and remove them from public areas.
The Chicken Busters program began seven years ago with just a city inspector and volunteer firefighters working in their spare time. It quickly gained popularity and media attention, with features aired on Good Morning America and ESPN. The team uses nets to chase and capture stray chickens, always trying to predict the chickens' next moves. Their motto is, "To catch a chicken, you have to think like a chicken."
The Chicken Busters typically patrol city streets on Friday mornings, focusing on areas with high concentrations of chickens, such as Little Havana, Little Haiti, Overtown, and Coconut Grove. They give priority to catching roosters due to their early-morning crowing, which is a particular source of annoyance for residents. In one instance, the Chicken Busters captured 134 roosters, hens, and chicks in just two stings in East Little Havana, Little Haiti, and Overtown.
The captured chickens are then sold to farms in the Redlands, with the net proceeds being donated to charity. Over the years, the Chicken Busters have trapped and relocated over 15,000 stray chickens, making a significant impact on Miami's chicken problem. However, it is a challenging task, as the chickens breed faster than they can be caught, and they can be difficult to capture.
While some residents appreciate the work of the Chicken Busters, others defend the presence of chickens in their neighborhoods. There is an ongoing conflict between those who keep chickens and those who are disturbed by them, with some animal lovers even resorting to rooster-shaming on social media platforms. Nonetheless, the Chicken Busters continue their efforts to balance the needs of the community and ensure a peaceful coexistence between humans and animals in Miami.
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Chickens are a health hazard and a nuisance
In Miami, the issue of stray chickens has become so prevalent that the city has a team of workers, known as "Chicken Busters", dedicated to catching them. The Chicken Busters, comprising members of the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team, patrol the city streets every Friday morning with nets, attempting to capture chickens and roosters on public property. Roosters are banned in Miami, and chickens are only allowed in certain areas with a permit, which no one in the city seems to have.
Chickens can indeed be a health hazard and a nuisance, as outlined below:
Disease and Parasites
Chickens can transmit diseases if not properly cared for, and they can also carry parasites like lice, as experienced by one of the Chicken Busters in Miami.
Noise Pollution
The crowing of roosters in the early morning can be a nuisance, disturbing residents' sleep. The constant noise from chickens, especially in residential areas, can be a source of frustration for neighbours.
Odour Issues
Chicken coops can emit strong and unpleasant odours, causing an offensive smell that affects the surrounding area.
Waste Management
Chicken waste can accumulate and, if not properly managed, can lead to unsanitary conditions and potential health risks.
Property Damage and Safety Concerns
Chickens can wander onto roads and streets, posing a safety hazard to themselves and potentially causing a nuisance to drivers. They can also damage gardens and properties, creating an inconvenience for homeowners.
To address these concerns, cities like Miami have implemented measures such as the Chicken Busters program to capture and relocate stray chickens. Additionally, residents can refer to local zoning ordinances and nuisance regulations to understand their rights and options when dealing with chicken-related issues in their neighbourhoods.
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Chickens are banned in the city, but some keep them as pets
In Miami, chickens are allowed in some areas, but residents are required to obtain a permit. However, not a single person in the city has a permit, despite dozens of families having backyard chickens. Roosters, on the other hand, are banned in the city due to their early-morning crowing, which can be a nuisance to residents.
To address the issue of loose chickens and roosters in the city, Miami had a unique team called the Chicken Busters, whose job was to catch these animals. The Chicken Busters consisted of members of the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team, patrolling the city streets every Friday morning with nets in hand. The team prioritised capturing roosters due to their early-morning calls, which could be disruptive to residents. The captured chickens were then sold to farms, with the proceeds donated to charity.
While some cities ban backyard chickens, there are residents who keep them as pets. D.C. attorney Allison Sheedy and her husband Dan McInnis, for example, fought to obtain a permit for their four chickens and created a website to petition against the ban. They considered their chickens as family members and believed that they were good for the environment.
Proponents of keeping chickens in cities argue that they produce eggs, contribute to food security and sustainability, and provide educational opportunities for people, especially children, to learn about food production. Additionally, chickens are not loud or smelly, and they do not pose a biting risk. However, opponents of backyard chickens in cities raise concerns about animal mistreatment, disease transmission, and the potential for chickens to become a nuisance or hazard if not properly cared for.
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Inspectors find it challenging to catch chickens
Miami's Chicken Busters program was launched to address complaints from residents who were inconvenienced by stray chickens and their morning crowing. The program has proven to be effective, with 16,000 stray chickens trapped and sold to farms in the Redlands, and proceeds donated to charity. However, inspectors find it challenging to catch chickens due to various factors.
Firstly, chickens are fast and agile, making them difficult to catch by hand. They can be reluctant to return to their coops and will actively seek ways to escape, demonstrating their intelligence and resourcefulness. As one former Chicken Buster, Jorge, noted, the job often involves "nothing but the chase and sweating."
Secondly, it can be challenging to determine the ownership of chickens as they wander freely around neighborhoods. This enforcement problem makes it hard to hold homeowners accountable for keeping their chickens caged, as required by city regulations.
Additionally, catching chickens can be physically demanding and uncomfortable due to the heat and the presence of chicken lice. The task may also require specialized skills that inspectors lack, as noted by Borges, a city code inspector.
Furthermore, chickens are social and intelligent animals that can be trained to come when called or respond to specific treats. However, this can also work against inspectors trying to catch them, as chickens may associate certain tools or methods with negative experiences and become warier over time.
To overcome these challenges, Chicken Busters employ various strategies, including using nets, setting traps, and working in teams to corral the chickens. They also focus on catching roosters, which are banned in the city, and target areas with high concentrations of stray chickens, such as Little Havana and Little Haiti.
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Captured chickens are sold to farms
Miami's Chicken Busters program was launched to address the complaints of residents who were inconvenienced by the birds and their morning crowing. The program began with just a city inspector and volunteer firefighters working in their spare time. Over the years, 16,000 stray chickens were trapped and sold to farms in the Redland. The net proceeds of $10,000 were donated to charity.
The captured chickens are sold to farms, where they are kept in vast warehouses along with thousands of other chickens. These warehouses are filthy and extremely crowded, causing farms to be rife with diseases, including bird flu. To increase profits, farmers drug and genetically manipulate chickens, which causes many birds to suffer from painful, crippling bone disorders and spinal defects. Chickens in factory farms have their beaks cut off and are given drugs that make them grow excessively large, often resulting in crippling.
When kept in such large numbers, chickens vent their stress and frustration by pecking at one another. In addition to the poor conditions, chickens in factory farms are often subjected to cruel practices. For example, to reduce losses, egg farmers use hot blades to cut off chicks' beaks just hours after they hatch. The procedure is so painful that many chicks die of shock or starvation when eating becomes too difficult.
Male chicks, which cannot produce eggs, are thrown into garbage bags or grinders to suffocate or be crushed. When the time comes for slaughter, chickens are packed into lorries and transported to the abattoir. Many suffer broken wings and legs during transport, and some do not survive the journey. At the abattoir, their legs are shackled, their throats are cut, and they are dropped into scalding water for feather removal. Some chickens miss the throat cutter and end up dying from the scalding water.
While factory farms are a common destination for captured chickens, some may end up in live-animal markets. Here, they are kept in small, filthy wire cages called "khokhas" and are often deprived of food and water. They are crammed together tightly, which facilitates the rapid spread of disease. When sold, their throats are cut in front of the other chickens, and they may spend months in these miserable conditions before meeting their end.
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Frequently asked questions
Miami Chicken Busters are city workers who are paid to catch loose chickens and roosters in the city. They patrol city streets with nets, trying to capture the animals on public property.
Miami has a diverse range of cultures, including many people from the Caribbean and Latin America where free-ranging chickens are common. Some people keep chickens as pets, for food, or for religious reasons. Additionally, some chickens have escaped from homes and started to procreate in the streets.
The Chicken Busters sell the chickens to farms. In the past, the net proceeds from these sales have been donated to charity.
