Jersey has been overrun with feral chickens as a result of families dumping pets when they become too big, local authorities have warned.

There are understood to be about six broods of chickens nesting around the island – with the largest estimated to be more than 100 in number.

Because there are no foxes on the island to act as a natural predator, local authorities are fighting an ongoing battle with the birds, which are waking people up at 3am, pecking at gardens and becoming a traffic hazard as they stray on to roads.

Stewart Petrie, the head of environmental health in Jersey, said: “Someone might buy a fluffy, cute little chick, but when it starts defecating everywhere or grows up into a rooster and starts waking them up at 3 o’clock in the morning, they want to get rid of it.