Wild Chickens Of Key West
A rare glimpose into protected chickens
Key West, Florida is the southernmost place in the United States and the only part of the country where chickens can roam freely with laws and a culture that protects them. How chickens began to roam Key West and gain protection is not entirely known, but the birds were originally brought here for human use like cockfighting and whatever else humans decided to do with them. After cockfighting was banned the chickens were able to populate on their own terms and live freely without being controlled and dominated by humans. Given that chickens come from the tropics of Southeast Asia, Key West is a pretty good place for them to call home since the weather is warm year-round and there aren’t too many natural predators.
Key West has laws that punish harming the native chickens, so the typical violence that chickens are normally met with by humans all over the world is off limits here. Wild free-roaming chickens and chicken art can be seen all around Key West, they are as much a part of the culture as drinking alcohol and going to the beach. Unlike in animal agriculture, baby chicks can be seen with the comfort and protection of their mother nearby. Although the local chickens have decent laws that protect them, Key West is by no means a pro-chicken paradise. There are still plenty of restaurants that serve chicken eggs and flesh, there’s no local advocacy that fights for the general well-being of domesticated chickens, and there are still plenty of locals and perhaps tourists too who wish the laws weren’t so lenient to the chickens.
Fortunately there is a local wildlife center that is able to assist chickens in need, such as chickens who have been injured, orphaned, or who are sick. This wildlife center states on their website that they help over 1400 native birds annually. The situation in Key West shows that humans can indeed co-exist with chickens, that we can respectfully share space on this planet with them, and that all chickens have a will and preference to exercise their own natural instincts and behaviors.
