MYSTERY surrounds the release into the wild of dozens of battery hens on North Hill, Minehead.

Nearly 100 abandoned chickens were spotted on Saturday at the roadside in an area known as ‘The Triangle’.

A number of local residents then rushed to the area and rounded up as many of the birds as they could, helped by staff from Exmoor National Park Authority.

The birds were first spotted by local resident Emma Redman, who posted photographs on social media with a plea to find the owner.

Ms Redman said: “I thought they had escaped.

Some of the abandoned chickens ready to be taken away by Minehead resident Donna Richards. PHOTO: Donna Richards.
Some of the abandoned chickens ready to be taken away by Minehead resident Donna Richards. PHOTO: Donna Richards. ( )

“I put it on Facebook for the owner or an experienced person to see, and went off to walk my dogs.

“When I returned to my car there were a couple of people helping to catch them.

“They were experienced with birds and I left them to it.

“I am shocked that anybody would think it appropriate to dump that many chickens up our lovely hill.”

Minehead woman Donna Richards said: “I drove up to see if I could help in any way to try and take the hens to safety.

“A few concerned members of the public had gathered, one managed to contact the RSPCA but were informed that this is not within the responsibilities of the RSPCA.

“So, the group decided to catch as many chickens as possible and put out a plea on social media for people to offer homes to the hens.

Some of the hens abandoned on Minehead's North Hill are now being looked after by Donna Richards. HOTO: Donna Richards.
Some of the hens abandoned on Minehead's North Hill are now being looked after by Donna Richards. HOTO: Donna Richards. ( )

“Battling the gorse bushes and some very scared chickens, it was a real challenge to catch them.

“I managed to rescue 22 and take them to my aviary to temporarily keep them safe with food and water.

“I will look for permanent homes for them over the next few weeks.

“The hens were very thirsty and had obviously not had access to water for some time.

“Sadly, I had to leave huge numbers of the hens on the hill to fend for themselves as I have limited space and already had 10 of my own hens.

Abandoned chickens wandering on North Hill, Minehead. PHOTO: Emma Redman.
Abandoned chickens wandering on North Hill, Minehead. PHOTO: Emma Redman. ( )

“The hens will not last long with foxes and dog walkers, no food or drink for very long.

“There were no clues as to where the hens came from but the breed is definitely used in large scale egg production farms, so my guess is they are from an egg farm.

“This is incredibly sad, and whoever dumped them is unbelievably irresponsible.”

Ms Richards said one possibility was that the chickens had been dumped because of fears over the national bird flu, or avian influenza, outbreak ‘which makes the whole thing even more careless’.

She said: “So far, the hens are not showing any sign of illness, they are eating well and have been started on a seven day worming treatment.”

Along with most of the rest of the country, West Somerset is subject to a Government-imposed avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ) requiring bird keepers, whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks, or just a few birds in a backyard flock, to take biosecurity and hygiene measures.