Wild Chicken Festival 2024

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Fitzgerald, GA-Historic Downtown

Lots of people, plenty of family fun, great food, activities for the kids and some of the best arts & crafts you'll see in central Georgia!

Wild Chicken Festival
March 14 & 15, 2025

Burmese chickens are a fixture of the Fitzgerald landscape, and the Wild Chicken Festival honors the unique residents that have been local attractions since the 1960s. The celebration of Fitzgerald’s Famous Wild Burmese Chickens is free for everyone and is held in the downtown historic district of Fitzgerald. Events include a 5K walk/run, a crowing contest, live music, arts, crafts, food, and more.

Run for the Roost 5K walk/run

Wild Chicken History

Back in the 1960s, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources stocked Burmese chickens all over the state as additional game birds to be hunted like pheasant or quail. These tiny, colorful birds resemble fighting game chickens, sporting brilliant orange and yellow ruffs and gleaming black tail feathers.  Flocks of chicks were released several miles from Fitzgerald at the Ocmulgee River. Populations of the bird never took hold in other areas of the state, but for some reason, they left the river site and made their way to downtown Fitzgerald, where they have propagated and prospered ever since!
Exotic and beautiful, Burmese chickens are also more athletic than your average chicken. According to one poultry resource,  if caught in a fight, Burmese chickens move around and think out their moves, while other breeds move straight into the fray.
Fitzgerald residents have a love/hate relationship with these wild birds. Some folks buy seeds and feed them regularly, others chase them out of their yards and gardens with a broom and a few choice words. Whether loved or hated, Burmese chickens are a familiar part of the Fitzgerald scene. They wake you up in the morning, create minor traffic problems, and, some claim, even keep the bugs away.
An annual festival celebrates these unique residents. The Wild Chicken Festival is held in the downtown historic district of Fitzgerald every spring. 

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