Pesky "cannibal chickens" are seeing another uptick as the government prepares to cull a second load of infected livestock following an outbreak of bird flu.
An expert has warned that if placed in "confined spaces" the cannibalistic chickens would be viciously tearing into each other.
Such a bloodbath of cannibal chickens ripping into one another will be avoided by a government-mandated cull at a farm in Norfolk, where infected birds were under strict supervision and behind bars.
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Poultry lockdowns have hit thick and fast after a wild outbreak of avian flu marked a worrying rise in cases over the past year.
"Highly pathogenic" sources of the virus strain have been traced back to a farm near Norfolk, with a "3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone" in place around the chickens.
Although the birds will be "humanely culled", it sees a second farm in the UK struggling to deal with the rise in avian flu cases and potential for cannibal chickens is rife.
Anthony Allen of Cotswolds Chickens said that the virus and the implications of the disease is the "biggest issue it presents to chicken keepers".
Such an issue leaves farmers worried for the side effects of the virus, which Allen added was "cannibalism" in "confined spaces".
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Chicken expert Allen said during an interview with BBC Radio 4 that "keeping chicken sin confined spaces can bring all sorts of issues which can end in cannibalism."
A statement from the government website on the issue of cannibal chickens read: "In the United Kingdom, there have been 136 confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 since 1 October 2022.
Egg shortages had worried some farmers with avian flu cited as a problematic reason behind a downturn in egg stocks.
Daily Star had previously reported the number of chickens "culled" through the uptick in virus woes had an impact on egg stocks and chicken populations.
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