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Ybor Resident Clucks About Wild Chickens' Removal

News Channel 8 photo by KATY HENNIG

Tommy Stephens feeds some of the wild chickens that roam the streets of Ybor City on Sunday. Locals say the chickens add to the character of Ybor because they having been roaming there for years.

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By NATALIE SHEPHERD | News Channel 8

Published: November 9, 2008

TAMPA - The roosters start crowing outside Tommy Stephens' Ybor City home at 3 a.m. It's been that way since he moved to the neighborhood in 1987.

"I tell everybody these chickens are left over from Rafeal Ybor," he laughs. "When all the immigrants were here, because they've been here since time."

Stephens insists the chickens are wild. Flocks of them live all over Ybor City. But that hasn't stopped him from making friends with the birds. His favorite is a small hen named Chic-Fil-A.

Stephens says he's not alone in his love for the birds. He says they're a part of what make the neighborhood unique.

"Sitting in my backyard, you're amazed at how many tourists will stop and see the chickens and take pictures of them," Stephens said.

That's why what happened last Thursday night made him so mad.

Trapper Mike Martinez showed up to take away the chickens.

Martinez started getting complaint calls about the chickens a week and a half ago.

"I got a couple of calls, at first, at random," Martinez said. But when the calls continued to come in, he went to investigate.

"I found chickens that were dead. That's why I got involved," he said.

Martinez said he found several dead birds behind a business on 7th Avenue. He worries someone may be trying to poison the chickens.

Martinez was also concerned because he counted more than 30 birds in the flock behind Stephens' house. He feels that's just too many for the city, and the neighbors who complained.

"I'm trying to help both sides. It's kind of like devil's advocate. Let's reduce these numbers," he said.

Martinez plans on leaving three roosters behind, with two hens for each rooster.

He said the rest of the birds will be taken in by local farmers; none of them will be killed.

But Stephens doesn't think any of the birds should have to go, and he doesn't care whose feathers the birds may have ruffled.

"The chickens have been here a lot longer than some of our new neighbors," Stephens said. "That's why I think we have a problem. Some of our new neighbors came in and are complaining about the noise of the chickens and the chickens destroying some of their yards."

Stephens is planning to protest the removal of the chickens. He's inviting anyone who's interested to march down 7th Avenue with him Nov. 16th at 3 p.m.

Stephens says he's also considering asking the city to approve an ordinance to protect the chickens, much like the one in Key West.

Natalie Shepherd can be reached at (813) 225-2703 or at nshepherd@wfla.com.

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