Fans of free-range chicken farming take note: If your chicken freely ranges onto somebody else’s property, you could be in trouble.

On Tuesday, Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law a bill that adds “domestic fowl” to a long-standing state law that makes owners of farm animals liable if their beasts do damage to somebody else’s property, or even enter it “without written permission” if the property owners objects.

Breaking that law, titled Trespassing Stock (RSA 635:3), makes you guilty of a violation, liable to unspecified fines.

That law dates back to the early 1970s, but aside from adding domestic birds to the list of possible perpetrators, the new amendment adds this sentence: “Complaints shall be made to law enforcement officials or local animal control officers who shall enforce the provisions of this section.” Apparently this isn’t a subject for citizen arrest.

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