As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Tuesday 22 October 2013

It's no yolk - chickens given hi vis jackets to help them cross the road

Why did the chicken cross the road? Well, at least they'll get to the other side safely in these snazzy jackets.

Domestic chicken owners are cladding their pet hens and roosters in hi-visibility bibs to help keep them safe as the darker nights draw in this Autumn.

The bright pink or yellow items of clothing are designed to alert motorists and others to keep the birds safe in the busy urban and suburban areas they live in.

The "High Vis Chicken Jackets" are being produced by Omlet, who also manufacture fashionable chicken coops to cater for the rise in the amount of chickens being kept as pets in the UK.

"We had people inquiring about this kind of thing so decided to look into it," director Johannes Paul said.

He added: “Most people who have chickens as pets will have them out and about and we do hear about chickens who do cross the road.

“If you imagine you are in a built-up area and your chicken gets under the fence, they don’t care if there is a road there. They just go straight across it.”

Omlet suggest the jackets are particularly helpful for battery hens, whose sparse feathers make them more susceptible to the cold.

They go on to say that they could also help with hens who have recently moulted giving them extra warmth and as well as "protecting their modesty."



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