Chickens: Townies versus Beach

alw1977 · Post by **alw1977** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:23 pm

I saw the funniest sign up in Connections on our trip. It read (paraphrased of course):

"FREE CHICKENS: Help Clean Up Our Parks!

Chickens free to good homes. These are beach chickens, NOT townies!"

Can someone please enlighten me as to why beach chickens would be better than townies? Are the townies meaner, tougher or diseased? Are beach chickens more laid back? I had to laugh because there is a segment of the population in Athens, GA that refer to themselves as townies. I should have gotten a picture of the sign for my "townie" friends.

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:29 pm

I don't know the difference but find it amusing none the less.

When we were done in Feb, one of our friends just couldn't get over the fact that there were CHICKENS! RUNNING FREE! ON THE BEACH! IN RESTAURANTS! I think the chickens disturbed her on some level.

alw1977 · Post by **alw1977** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:34 pm

PA Girl, some of our friends kept making the same comments. I first saw chickens on the beach in Anguilla, several years back before the building boom began. At first, it is weird to be relaxing with a book staring at the Caribbean blue when suddenly a loud rooster call interrupts your reverie.

One of our friends is actually afraid of birds (yep, the same one who's afraid of fish) and she kept shooing the chickens away. I rather like them - like little beach pets with no commitments.

Lulu76 · Post by **Lulu76** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:38 pm

I am not sure why beach chickens are better than townies -- maybe more free range?

One of the girls going with us has never been to the islands before and is going a few days early to see the sights of St. Thomas. I was trying to help her find a hotel, and I saw one got bad reviews because of its "chicken problem." I figured I would fess up and tell her there are chickens everywhere. She seemed OK with it, but it was amazing to see how many people complained about it in reviews. Generally when I read something like that, it becomes apparent from the review that the person had different expectations of their trip.

liamsaunt · Post by **liamsaunt** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:39 pm

Ha ha PaGirl, you have to wonder about some people. I guess she would not have liked the iguana that sat next to our table at the Banana Deck. Or the goat that jumped up on our table at Miss Lucy's a couple of years ago!

In fact, our last lunch at Miss Lucys we had a couple of chickens that took up a spot under our table. I guess they thought that we might feed them. After a while they realized they were out of luck and moved over to the next table. The minute that couple got up to leave those chickens were right up there munching away on their leftovers! I think they only got three or four bites before the waitress came out with her broom to shoo them off.

Chet · Post by **Chet** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:48 pm

Maho Game Hens

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:00 pm

liamsaunt wrote:Ha ha PaGirl, you have to wonder about some people. I guess she would not have liked the iguana that sat next to our table at the Banana Deck. Or the goat that jumped up on our table at Miss Lucy's a couple of years ago!

The first time we took our friends, L (wife) and B(husband) we had an insane roaster at Kallaloo. B is quite the hunter and he seriously tried to send the roaster to the big STJ in the sky.

Then when we went to Miss Lucy's, a large-ish goat with big horns jumped on our table. B grabbed in by the horns and wrestled it to the ground like some sort of cowboy in a rodeo. To say B was not amused by the incident is an understatement. There was cursing, loud cursing and possibly kicking.

He refuses to go back to Miss Lucy's to this day.

Jump to 2008, L's sister J and her husband M travel with us. J and M are not what I would call nature people. It was J that was disturbed by the chickens, very disturbed.

An iguana? J probably would have peed her pants first, demanded to go home second. (J and M actually ended up loving STJ but not the chickens)

Lulu76 · Post by **Lulu76** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:04 pm

I need to eat out more. The only good animal stories I have are the iguana that watched us in the pool everyday and the donkey that tried to stick his head in our car out by Vie's.

Very boring indeed. Although our drunk waitress the one evening was even more entertaining than a goat jumping on the table.

alw1977 · Post by **alw1977** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:08 pm

Who the hell wrestles a goat? To what end?

California Girl · Post by **California Girl** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:33 pm

I love all the "wildlife" on STJ, including goats, chickens & Woody's!

StJohnRuth · Post by **StJohnRuth** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:25 pm

I do not like roosters.
There, I've said it.
Hate 'em.
I'm going to put up a sign at Connections tomorrow also.
"Free Chickens from a Very Good Neighborhood.
You Catch 'Em, They're Yours."

alw1977 · Post by **alw1977** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:38 pm

Ruth - roosters are rude, noisy and messy. But they're very handsome, and I'm a sucker for a handsome male.

Seriously, though - do you know why someone would bother to differentiate the townies from the beach chickens?

StJohnRuth · Post by **StJohnRuth** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:40 pm

It could be that people think that beach chickens have a better diet than townie chickens.

Pete (Mr. Marcia) · Post by **Pete (Mr. Marcia)** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:03 pm

StJohnRuth wrote:I do not like roosters.
There, I've said it.
Hate 'em.
I'm going to put up a sign at Connections tomorrow also.
"Free Chickens from a Very Good Neighborhhood.
You Catch 'Em, They're Yours."

A clever solution to your problem. Hope it works.

nothintolose · Post by **nothintolose** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:14 pm

Ruth - you crack me up! I have to say, birds scare me a bit. I always tell people, I'll work with pit bulls and rottweillers but please keep their birds in the cage. Those suckers can bite the cra$ out of you.

When I was a kid, our neighbors had chickens and roosters, and we were always scared they would get us with their talons.

So Ruth, I guess I am with you as far as not being a fan of them

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