Published: Thursday, 15th May, 2008 12:00
West Kilbride anger over Charlie's Chickens
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It is with great sadness, utter annoyance and disbelief that I write this letter but I feel very strongly about the following issue and dearly hope that these words will open the eyes of certain individuals in West Kilbride.
As most locals will know by now, there is a petition in the local Spar shop ‘Save our chickens.’ This refers to the chickens kept by the late Charlie Garratt who was a much loved and well respected member of the community. Charlie had around 130 chickens - and he knew each and every one of them by name! He was a passionate environmentalist and animal lover, fitting well with his chosen profession of veterinary surgery.
It beggars belief that people have had to start a petition in order to be left in peace to keep chickens in the countryside.
Thanks to certain residents of Corsehill Drive, and some neighbours, Charlie’s chickens had to be moved away from the quarry where they were being kept. The reason they were there in the first place was to rid the quarry of Japanese Knotweed (a pernicious notifiable weed) in an environmentally friendly way as part of an experiment with the collaboration of Dr Pascaline Le Lay and Dr Clive Ireland who are involved with a project with the Department of Trade and Industry.
This was genuine research which could have potentially saved many local authorities a lot of cash - and far better than the alternative of having to find £17,000 to have the knotweed removed using pesticides. The locals were happy to be sold genuine free range eggs with the small proceeds going to the Environmental group.
But for a few narrow minded, selfish individuals who seem to enjoy complaining, this could have been a valuable venture from which many lessons could be learned.
Charlie spent the last weeks of his life this year answering criticism about his chickens. Complaints were put into the Environmental Health Department by some sad individuals with nothing better to do with their time.
They complained about the cockerels crowing, so Charlie moved them. They then bemoaned the chickens clucking! And they complained about the chickens appearing in their gardens. It has to be pointed out that there is a fifty plus foot cliff between the quarry and the complaints but there has been a custom over the years for these people to empty their garden waste and other rubbish over the quarry wall - so partly due to the build up of rubbish thrown over the edge of the quarry, the chickens were able to scale the heights.
Even the very day before Charlie suffered a fatal heart attack (one would hate to think that the stress and harassment he was subjected to surrounding this issue was a contributory factor) he spent the afternoon trying to catch and remove a chicken from one resident’s garden after yet another irate phone call from Corsehill Drive, despite the fact that he was feeling unwell.
The same person has recently threatened to harm Charlie’s chickens so they have to be moved for their own safety. Ridiculous!
Should we now find a way to silence the cows and sheep surrounding the village? What about the owls that are frequently heard at night or the abundant crows in the tree tops? I say that Charlie’s chickens should be returned to their rightful home and people should come together and finish the good work that this great man started. If the aforementioned moaners don’t like it then I say to them with heart and passion - for and on behalf of Charlie and his birds - CLUCK OFF!
If you agree with me, at a time when current public opinion is to return to natural egg production and the government encourages healthy eating and home produced food, then please go and add your name to the petition in Spar, West Kilbride.
Name and address withheld
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