Feral Chickens Terrorize English Village

A village in Norfolk, England, is under siege—from about 100 feral chickens. Residents of Snettisham say the large flock that has taken up residence there is so noisy that locals have trouble sleeping at night, and that the birds are also digging up gardens, Yahoo News UK reports. "They're out of control now," one local, who has taken to wearing earplugs at night, tells the Guardian. Residents say the chickens come into town from a forested area nearby, but it's not clear who owns the land from which they hail. Worsening the issue: Outsiders have started coming into the village to see the chickens, and they also leave food for them, which in turn attracts rats.

"What was it someone left the other week? A quart of pink prawns," says an apparently exasperated member of the parish council. "The rats are quite sizeable around here and they breed like hell." Some in the village, however, say the chickens have been around for a long time and it's just new arrivals to the area who are complaining. One local says the chickens add a charming bit of color to the village. Responding to concerns over what it might do about the issue, the parish council released a statement: "We are not threatening to 'evict' the chickens or remove them. We are seeking specialist advice from various sources, only one of which is Fresh Start for Hens," a rescue charity. A meeting is planned at which villagers can give their opinions about next steps. (More strange stuff stories.)