Loose chickens are a nuisance here: noisy and disruptive, they denude vegetated areas scratching for food. A partially state-subsidized trapping system that costs residents $50 to $375 hasn’t led to substantial culling.

With critics squawking, a flock of bills are back: House Bill 227 and Senate Bill 961 would establish chicken complaint hotlines and allocate funds for the Department of Health to control populations; HB 1140 allows using electronic devices to trap chickens, establishes fines for interfering with removal and requires a loose-chicken hotline; HB 72 sets a $500 fine for feeding loose chickens; and HB 576 requires state agencies and counties to cooperate on chicken control, and authorizes processing culled birds to feed people in need.