Antioch Neighbors Cry Fowl Over Noisy Flock Of Chickens
ANTIOCH (CBS SF) -- A neighborhood in Antioch is on edge because of a noisy pack of wild roosters that is keeping residents up with loud crowing at all hours.
Roy Booker and Kurt Loomis are neighbors on Vine Lane, a street in Antioch that is overrun with chickens. For years, people living in the area have had to put up with non-stop crowing.
"You think this is noise?" asked Lomis. "You ought to hear the choir in the morning and at night before they get back in the trees."
"This starts at 3 o'clock in the morning," added Booker.
About 50 hens and roosters sleep up in the trees behind the men's homes. Booker actually cut down a giant sycamore in his backyard when they started roosting there as well.
As bad as the noise was, it wasn't until his 1-year old grandson was almost attacked by a rooster that Lomis began complaining.
Antioch recently annexed this area. The neighbors were hoping the city would do something, but so far officials have taken no action.
The neighbors say their noise complaints have fallen on deaf ears here at Antioch Animal Services. KPIX couldn't find anyone from the city who would talk about what they plan to do about the problem.
Animal Services did offer a letter which explained simply that they could not determine who owned the chickens. Other than that, the city's silence has been deafening.
"If this was going on outside the Mayor's house, do you think it would go for very long?" asked Booker. "No. It wouldn't last 24 hours."
"If it was in their neighborhood, I guarantee, it would have been taken care of," agreed Loomis.
KPIX did eventually hear from the mayor of Antioch, who said it will cost the city $7,000 to trap and relocate the birds.
Meanwhile, the birds are breeding and the flock is getting larger. Antioch has laws on the books prohibiting such a nuisance.
The neighbors say they shouldn't have to hire a lawyer to get the city to start enforcing them.
