Egged on to comply with register

Owners threatened with jail if their chickens undeclared

- by HENRY WIDDAS

BIRD owners will be knocking government beaks out of joint if they don't register their chickens this month.

The new legislation has been the squawk of the town as even those with a couple of chickens in their back garden are having to register their feathered friends.

A reported backlash against the law has seen people register their frozen chickens in the freezer to disrupt the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs protocol.

With hysteria around animal viruses being coordinated globally, some bird owners fear the registration of their winged companions could lead to demands to cull the animals at any time.