ST. LOUIS – People in one St. Louis neighborhood reported an odd sight this week: chickens walking down the street.
Neighbors expressed concern online, and others shared pictures with daily updates on the chickens.
It was unlike anything Kristina Darden had seen since moving to the Gravois Park area.
“They were roaming up and down the street, they were over there, they in the alley, they were in the dumpster… they were everywhere!” Darden said. “Never in a million years would I have thought we’d see chickens in the neighborhood.”
Darden posted about the chickens in the Nextdoor App, and soon connected with Debi Wodraska. Wodraska rescues chickens and has five of her own.
One night, they sprung into action when they spotted the chickens in a tree. Darden’s son climbed up, grabbed the chicks, and handed them to Debi.
“I just breathed this sigh of relief,” Wodraska said. “I knew they weren’t going to last, and I thought, ‘How are we going to get them? Are we going to get them?’ And so, the teamwork really did make the dream work.”
Debi then brought them to her home in Richmond Heights, where they are recovering well.
“They’re kind of quiet now, because I think they’ve just been through so much,” Wodraska said.
The young chicks have learned life on the outside of the coop may not be all it’s cracked-up to be. Their rescuers took home a valuable lesson, too.
“If you keep putting good energy out there, somebody like Debi will prove you right, that there is still good in the world,” Darden said. “A lot of good people.”
Wodraska said her heart was warmed by how many people seemed to care about the wellbeing of the chickens.
“I think people do really care,” she added.
According to the City of St. Louis’ website, the city allows up to eight chickens per home.
