The Manx National Farmers Union (MNFU) has said it’s ‘unacceptable’ for people to be abandoning chickens, especially cockerels, around the island.

The MNFU said there are ways to deal with unwanted birds, but the problem is difficult to address because poultry doesn’t need to be registered.

Garff Commissioners recently issued a reminder to residents that it is a criminal offence to desert the animals. General secretary of the MNFU, Sarah Comish, said it could risk diseases spreading, including avian flu.

She commented: ‘Usually it’s cockerels. They get abandoned when people have been hatching eggs, and some of them turn out to be cockerels and they’re not sure what to do with them.

‘Sometimes, and it has happened to us on our farm a few years ago, they feel that if somewhere has got chickens that maybe they won’t mind having some more.

‘A large aspect is the risk of finding food. You put them in a very challenging situation when they’re dumped in the countryside because some of them can starve as well. From all sides, it’s not an acceptable thing to do.

‘If you spot any disease in them, the first thing you should do is get in touch with DEFA.’

Back in November, more than 20 chickens at a time were spotted roaming wild in the Glen Roy area near Laxey, with these birds believing to have been abandoned there.

Local residents reportedly fed the animals, but Garff Commissioners were concerned that the number of cockerels and hens seemingly dumped in the area had increased over the last three years.

Garff Commissioner Mel Christian said: ‘‘It’s beginning to become a bit of a problem. Obviously, it’s a concern for the animals, but also for traffic going through the area when you have chickens running at your car as you’re driving.’