The Manx Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has been rounding up cockerels let loose in Castletown.

Staff managed to catch all but three of the birds, with two of the remaining birds mysteriously disappearing and one being run over by a car on the by-pass.

The charity says it is rumoured that the Castletown cockerels were released as a prank.

Castletown is not the only area to be experiencing cockerel problems, with the loud crowing made at daybreak being particularly difficult to live with, and the birds are often dumped all over the island.

The ManxSPCA says particular hot-spots are the arboretum, Thoit-y-Will, Devil’s Elbow, the Switchback, Abbeylands and St John’s.

A spokesman said: ’Even though the cockerels roost in trees to evade predators such as polecats they generally lead miserable lives, with limited food sources, and they often succumb to malnutrition and disease.

’Some of the cockerels are dumped by owners who simply can’t cope with them and who think they are giving the birds a chance of survival living out in the wild.

’The problem stems from irresponsible or ill-informed breeding, and the fact that chicken ownership is very popular - sales of bespoke chicken coups are at all-time high, and the trend for fresh, home-produced food continues to be an upward one. Well-meaning chicken owners sometimes do not think of the consequences when they allow their hens’ eggs to develop into chicks, given that roughly 50 per cent will be male chicks.

’This is where the cockerel problem starts.

’If you do have too many male birds, please let the ManxSPCA know. The society always does its best to find a solution, and keeps a database of landowners who will take cockerels - but it currently needs more names to go on this database.

’We urgeschicken owners not to breed if they need more "layers" and to rehome hens instead. The society often has hens in its aviary, sometimes exotic ones, and so can help with the rehoming process.’