AUGUSTA — No fowl play was suspected in a chicken-at-large incident Thursday afternoon.
Animal Control Officer Paul Frye and Officer Brad Chase are credited with the catch, according to a Thursday afternoon Facebook post by the department.
The post read: “ACO Frye and Ofc. Chase were able to wrangle this slippery rascal today. Is there anyone missing a poultry from their flock? She’s a slippery poultry but not slippery enough to evade ACO Frye and the Chicken Caller Chase. She is currently being cared for at Ofc. Chase’s amateur egg farm, that his wife does all of the work on. If she belongs to you please contact ACO Frye and we can make arrangements for a proper reunion.”
Frye did not divulge where the bird was caught, because police are using the location of the capture to help identify the hen’s owner.
“I got a complaint from a local business yesterday,” he said. “So today I went out and, literally, beat the bushes and found where it was hanging out.”
Frye said he called for back-up from Chase and deputized two bystanders to help trap the evasive hen.
“Clearly it’s not a job for one person,” Frye said. “It took four people so we didn’t look stupid doing it; you have to maintain some dignity.”
Loose chickens are becoming “more prevalent,” he said, because more people are home farming the birds. Frye said he has received a couple dozen chicken complaints since he started in August.
He said this particular bird was roaming the area for a number of weeks. There are no leads on the chicken’s owner, Frye said.
This isn’t the first time that Chase has taken in a delinquent chicken. Back in March, the department wrangled a fowl running afoul in the parking lot of the Olive Garden restaurant. The department called the March chase an “epic 20 minute foot pursuit.” Bystanders said the chase was “priceless.”
Sam Shepherd — 621-5666
Twitter: @SamShepME
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Comments are no longer available on this story