GEORGETOWN, S.C. —  Lynn Ford, an employee of the Georgetown United Way, said she was puzzled when she entered her office on Front Street and heard roosters crowing.

The loud-voiced birds that have been seen and heard around the city of Georgetown are not yet considered a nuisance, although business owners and residents wonder where the feral fowl could be coming from.

The chickens, although Ford couldn’t see them, appeared to be gathering in a lot behind her office.

She said there appeared to be at least two different roosters crowing at the same time.

During a search of Front Street, red and yellow chickens, and at least one rooster were seen in the area of Cannon Street.

“I was quite puzzled, but I’m not one of those curious types who seeks out the sources of sounds,” she said. “It was really loud. I’ve heard them a couple of mornings. Where they are I don’t know.”

Georgetown Police Capt. Nelson Brown said he hasn’t received any complaints about the mystery chickens, but did investigate one sighting on Front Street Thursday.

“I don’t think we have had any calls for service around there,’’ he said. “I talked to Carter Weaver yesterday and he said there is a chicken down there on Front Street. I went down there yesterday morning and looked, but I didn’t see anything.”

An employee at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce said she had to stop her car to let the chickens cross Front Street.

“They would kind of stop, and then go back,’’ she said.

City problems

According to the city ordinances, the city of Georgetown is a bird and squirrel sanctuary. It is illegal to harm birds or squirrels in the city. The ordinance, however, does not spell out rules regarding chickens.

It is illegal to let livestock run at large in the city limits, but the ordinance does not specify whether a chicken is considered livestock.

An official with the S.C. Audubon Society said bird sanctuaries are usually meant to protect native birds.

“According to state or federal law, chickens are not protected,’’ Mark Musselman, education director for Audubon South Carolina. “Other than your normal cruelty to animal laws that apply. As far as having them removed, I don’t think a bird sanctuary protects chickens.”

A restaurant owner on Highmarket Street, who asked not to be named, said he has also seen several chickens wandering through his parking lot.

“It’s been almost ridiculous,” he said. “I’m wondering if it’s getting out of control. It’s probably been in the last month it’s gotten worse.

“You hear them and now you see them. They just wander through and they go into the next yard. They kind of drift off into the tree lines.”

Chicken curse

Georgetown is not the only city with a chicken curse.

According to officials in Key West, Fla., there has been an ongoing debate about to do about feral chickens wandering the town.

A town official said that the roaming chickens are amusing to tourists, but are considered a nuisance to others in town.

The wild fowl roost on cars and crow all night long, she said.

“They’re everywhere,’’ she said. “There have been different people taking them to the wildlife center.”

The great Key West chicken debate, according to Internet sources, involves those who love the chickens and others who hate them.

According to Suite101.com, “These scrappy birds are completely self-sufficient, though they will happily accept hand-outs or castaways from humans. They eat just about anything, but most often scratch in the dirt for bugs and worms. They are smaller and more colorful than chickens bred for meat and egg production. It is rumored that the meat of a Key West chicken is very tough and gamey, though the small eggs are tasty. They are surprisingly good fliers, and roost in trees at night.”

By Kelly Marshall Fuller

Kfuller@gtowntimes.com