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SINGAPORE – Some stray chickens in Sin Ming Court are getting a new home.
On Wednesday (October 7), residents who live on the Housing Board farm received a circular notifying them of the relocation, which is due to overpopulation of chickens and concerns about the noise the birds are making.
This was despite a survey conducted in June last year to decide the fate of the birds. The survey showed that more than 90 percent of residents wanted them to stay.
The circular explains that residents can visit the relocated chickens, which will be kept as pets.
In a Facebook post Thursday afternoon, Bishan-Toa Payoh, GRC MP Chong Kee Hiong clarified that only eight to 10 chickens were being moved to a garden nursery at 80 Seletar West Farmway 5, where they will be fed. and cared for.
Without citing a specific figure, Chong wrote in the post that some residents had expressed concern about the excessive noise chickens made while people worked from home or studied for exams.
Many people have been working from home due to the coronavirus outbreak, which started here in January.
Since the 2019 survey, the Sin Ming chicken population has increased to around 40 to 50 birds, Chong said. But it is not clear how much this increase was.
“The chickens that will be relocated are mainly roosters,” he said. “They are not of the jungle bird breed and the relocation is carefully carried out by a licensed animal management company hired by the city council.”
The residents’ committee of the Thomson Sin Ming Court and the Bishan-Toa Payoh City Council are working together on the relocation.
When contacted about the matter, the National Parks Board said it “provided advice on how to distinguish between a domestic chicken and a red forest bird.”
On Thursday around 1.30pm, contractors were seen trying to attract free roaming hens with cages in Block 450. Curious residents were seen taking pictures of the sight.
Several residents expressed disappointment at the relocation of the chickens, which they see as part of the farm.
“When I learned that some were being relocated, I wondered why they were being separated from their families. (The chickens) also feel like family to the people here, ”said Suresh MJ, 52, a leadership coach.
Many unanswered questions remain about the basis for the decision, resident Jun Chong said.
The 29-year-old filmmaker previously shot the short film New Resident about the chickens and the residents of the farm. The story was inspired by the public outcry against the then Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority for the slaughter of 24 free-roaming chickens after receiving just 20 complaints about noise and concerns about bird flu in 2017.
“It feels like they are neglecting the 90 percent (who voted earlier) and acting on the wishes of a vocal minority,” Mr. Chong said.
He was puzzled about how feedback from the estate comprising 15 HDB blocks with around 1,200 units was collected and why residents were not consulted in a similar survey.
“This will not be an isolated incident, the chicken population will continue to grow and this will return. I think we must learn to coexist with wildlife, “he added.
Other residents applauded the decision to move several of the chickens.
“I think it’s good that some chickens are relocated without having to slaughter them,” said Chin Kok Lung, 73, a retiree, who is also concerned that the birds may carry disease. “They cause a lot of disruption to gardeners by digging up flowers and grass,” he added.
Another 81-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, said she was elated that some of the animals are being relocated.
“They are cute but they are dirty. They urinate and defecate everywhere, ”he said.
The estate’s deputy, Mr. Chong, has been contacted for further comment.
This article was first published in The times of the strait.
