FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) - Local residents in Fair Oaks are accustomed to seeing wild chickens parading through the Village. The chickens are an integral part of the fabric of life in Fair Oaks, to which the annual Chicken Festival is a testament.

But many have noted a decline in the number of chickens crossing the streets and strutting through the parks. Among those was Fair Oaks local Linda Regli, who noticed far fewer chickens than usual and grew concerned: “People come from miles to see the famous Old Fair Oaks chickens. That is what old Fair Oaks is known for.”

While most people love Fair Oaks’ wild chicken population, others find them to be a nuisance—and an unconfirmed rumor suggests that someone had been shooting and killing the chickens with a bb gun.

Kim Pitillo, Executive Director of the Fair Oaks Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber has received a lot of calls about the missing chickens. She first heard the bb gun claim from a group of citizens who feed the chickens. Pitillo was told that some injured chickens were taken to a local veterinarian, and they suspected the chickens had been shot by a bb gun. Messenger Publishing Group has been unable to substantiate those claims at this time.

But Pitillo also said she recently saw approximately 20 roosters in the Village, so she knows that many are still around. The chickens roost in trees in the evening, and also migrate to different areas from time to time, so Pitillo wondered if there are still more chickens around than people realize.  

And the demolition of the old Amphitheatre building in the Village might have scared off some of the chickens, which could now be living in other areas of Fair Oaks. Pitillo suggested that the declining number of chickens in the Village is not a new phenomenon but has actually been going on for a while: “People are used to walking around and seeing a whole clutter of them, but it really hasn’t been that way for a couple years.”

Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District (FORPD) Administrator Mike Aho heard the bb gun rumor as well, but he stated, “I have not seen any evidence of this. … We have not seen it happen or talked to anyone who has firsthand knowledge of this happening.” While the rumor was shared with the District’s Park Police, Aho said no evidence was discovered and nothing was confirmed.

Aho did agree that there are fewer chickens in the Village now than in the past: “I am not certain why. It could be less chickens being dumped, someone picking them up, diseases, or any number of things. The vast majority of the chickens are roosters with very few hens, so the population only increases when people dump them off.”

Public Information Officer Rodney Grassmann with Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said they have no knowledge of anyone shooting the chickens, and the Sheriff’s Office hasn’t received any reports of such incidents.

Dawn Fisher, with Field Operations for Sacramento County Animal Care and Regulation, said her department has received calls suggesting the chickens were being shot, but Animal Control officers patrolled the area and didn’t find anything. Fisher said, “Nobody’s found anything to support that.” No dead bodies of chickens have been reported to or recovered by her department, so Fisher said at this time there’s “no evidence” to support the claim.

Fisher said the decline could be due to more predation from coyotes or foxes in the area, or the chickens could just be getting older and dying out. And Fisher explained that people sometimes capture the chickens, either rehoming them at hobby farms or turning them in to Animal Control to be rehomed.

Many are disturbed by the idea that someone has been shooting the beloved Fair Oaks chickens, so possible alternative explanations might be comforting to some. Messenger Publishing Group will continue to investigate this issue if new information comes to light. If anyone has any knowledge of these claims, please email [email protected].