The sidewalks of Sacramento State have grown quieter, with fewer clucks and cock-a-doodle-doos.

Since the beginning of classes in September, the number of chickens on campus has been supposedly dwindling.

But to many, including Facilities Management,Associated Students, Inc. and faculty and students, the cause of their disappearance is unknown.

During their honorary tenure at Sac State, the poultry have been a familiar and sometimes welcome sight.

“They liven up the place,” said anthropology professor Valerie Wheeler. “I’ve been feeding them in front of Mendocino Hall for about a year.”

But to Wheeler’s alarm, she noticed the chickens disappearing a week before classes began.

Sac State student Brian Goldsmith has been a long-time fan of the chickens and has also grown concerned about the recent shortages of poultry.

“At the beginning of the semester, I counted and there were 56 chickens. As of Monday Oct. 13 there were only six,” Goldsmith said.

Rumors that the chickens have vanished due to everything from predatory hawks to illegal cockfighting rings have been flying around campus.

“Every time I talk to one of the groundskeepers about the chickens,” said Wheeler, “the first thing that comes out of their mouth is that President Gonzalez doesn’t want them here.” “When Gerth left office we were all concerned about what would happen to the chickens with the new president coming into office. But one thing is certain the chickens are disappearing,” Wheeler said.President Gonzalez did say at the begining of the semester in a previous Hornet article in September that he has no official plans for the chickens.If President Gonzalez were to have the resident poultry removed from school grounds Facilities Management would be the ones to hire an exterminator to remove the fowl.

According to groundskeepers in Facilities Management, there were rumors that President Gonzalez wanted to have the chickens removed off the campus.

President Gonzalez had no comment regarding the chickens.

But Vice President of Facilities Management Matt Altier said that they have not contacted an exterminator or any other company to remove the chickens.

The poultry disappearance has also caught the attention of Associated Students Inc. President Peter Ucovich.

“The chickens add a bit of flare to the campus,” said Ucovich. “We’d like to be informed about this, but it’s not one of our top ten concerns.”

If the chicken shortage negatively affects their (students) learning, then we’d love to have them come up to ASI and tell us about it.”

As a possible explanation for the disappearances, Facilities Management said that at the same time every year chickens disappear, but then return in the spring.

“People might take them or students might take them,” said Matt Altier V.P. of Facilities Management. “We don’t know. We don’t take them, we don’t get rid of them. They’re just there.”