While I’m sure most Singaporeans are familiar with the sounds of the koel bird in our neighbourhoods, it’s probably not every day that you hear chicken noises being the source of residents’ frustrations.
Well, unless you live in this Bishan neighbourhood.
Just recently, residents of this neighbourhood reached out to Shin Min Daily News to share their experience with the chickens nearby.
In particular, a resident named Mrs Xu (hanyu pinyin) shared that the area near 454 Sin Ming Avenue in Bishan has seen an increase in the number of chickens over the past three years.
While there were only “a few” chickens in the past, there are now over twenty of them.
And if you’re wondering, “How disruptive can a few chickens be?”, you’re about to find out.
Chickens Cluck in the Middle of the Night, Noises Still Heard Even After Closing Windows
Apart from the increase in the number of chickens, Mrs Xu also told Shin Min that these chickens cluck in the middle of the night when it is still dark, affecting residents who are asleep at that time.
And that’s not all.
According to her, the chickens fly up the trees to cluck at times, and will do so at night until two or three in the morning.
Closing the windows doesn’t seem like an option either, for the clucks can still be clearly heard after residents close them.
Spent $6,900 on Soundproofing
Mrs Xu added that her husband and daughter have been suffering as a result of the clucks.
Since they are unable to fall asleep and need to wake up early for work, that prompted the family to spend $6,900 on soundproof windows for two bedrooms in their house.
Even though the clucks can still be heard from the living room of their unit, Mrs Xu explained that the living room is “a distance” away from the bedrooms, which allows them to sleep better at night.
Most Residents Agree that the Chickens are Nuisances
When visiting the area on Tuesday (13 September), Shin Min reporters observed around ten wild chickens on the grass patch near the Housing Development Board (HDB) block.
Although the chickens would walk away when approached by people, residents in the area who spoke to the Chinese paper agreed that the chickens do indeed affect those living in the area.
One resident said that the chickens often wake her grandson up in the middle of the night, meaning that the adults in the family have to wake up as well in order to coax him back to sleep.
Another resident staying across the street also said that the chickens did not seem to pose much of an issue at first, but they have gotten increasingly disruptive in recent years.
She added that she can hear the clucks even from her home across the road.
Apart from that, the residents also expressed hope for the relevant authorities to pay attention to this issue and hopefully find a way to handle it as well.
With regards to this, Mrs Xu acknowledged that some residents believe that the humans in the area should not be interfering with the chickens and their natural habitat since chickens have been coexisting with us since the kampong periods.
However, she added that such individuals should try to empathise with others and try to understand the concerns of those who are affected by the chickens.
Some People in Neighbourhood Apparently Feed the Chickens
As for why the chickens keep appearing in the neighbourhood, there might be an answer to that.
Some residents revealed that they have seen a lady feed the wild chickens sometime last year, and that such feeding of the chickens may have contributed to why the chickens have “multiplied” over the years.
The lady, who appeared to be in her mid-40s, apparently scattered some breadcrumbs and rice near the chickens, prompting them to fight over the food afterwards.
According to the residents, they chose not to interfere as they thought it was a one-off incident.
On the other hand, reporters observed that there were signs at the void decks which reminded the public to not feed the chickens.
Groups Helping to Control Number of Chickens to be Set Up
As for now, it seems like the relevant authorities will be setting up groups that will help work to control the number of chickens in the area.
These groups will include representatives from different organisations such as National Parks (NParks), Thomson Sin Ming Garden Residents’ Committee (RC), the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council as well as residents.
Shin Min reporters also noted that flyers announcing the formation of these groups have also been put up in the area.
Some actions taken by the group will include placing umbrella-shaped nets on trees to prevent chickens from flying up trees near residents’ homes as well as holding regular sessions to pick up eggs in the area.
Apart from that, the authorities also urge members of the public to not feed these chickens to ensure that they do not reproduce excessively and bring about more inconveniences to residents in the area.
Previously, 24 wild chickens near Thomson View, around 100m from 454 Sin Ming Avenue, were culled after causing disturbance to residents in the area.
A study conducted by NParks earlier this year in March also revealed that there are 69 wild chickens in the Bishan area, an increase from the 50 chickens that were found in 2017.
Featured Image: Shin Min Daily News
