There's nothing poultry about billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates' bank balance.

So you'd be forgiven for thinking it's fowl play for him to be dishing out financial advice to the poor people of the world.

But Gates has decided to tell people living in extreme poverty that the solution to their woes lies in raising chickens.

4 Bill Gates is the richest person in the world, according to Forbes

In a blog post entitled "why I would raise chickens", the tech mogul said he was cock-a-hoop about the barnyard animals.

"I’ve met many people in poor countries who raise chickens, and I have learned a lot about the ins and outs of owning these birds," he wrote.

"It’s pretty clear to me that just about anyone who’s living in extreme poverty is better off if they have chickens."

Gates is worth a whopping $76.6 billion (£52.9 billion) and earns an estimated $20 million (£13.8 million) every single day.

4 Chickens are a descendent of the dinosaur

In his latest blog post, Bill decided to imagine what life would be like if he was living off just $2 a day - which is barely enough to buy a Pot Noodle here in the UK.

He said chickens were a "great investment" because one hen could potentially produce 40 chicks in a matter of months.

Poultry pickers could use this flock to feed their children or earn a relatively decent living.

Gates even claimed chickens could "empower women".

4 Free range: Chickens sell for $5 each in rural Africa

"Because chickens are small and typically stay close to home, many cultures regard them as a woman’s animal, in contrast to larger livestock like goats or cows," he added.

"Women who sell chickens are likely to reinvest the profits in their families."

The Gates Foundation, a charity run by Bill and his wife, has launched a drive to help 30 per cent of people in rural sub-Saharan Africa keep hens and roosters that have been vaccinated to keep them free of disease.

4 Bill Gates and his wife Melinda

Gates added: "When I was growing up, chickens weren’t something you studied, they were something you made silly jokes about.

"It has been eye-opening for me to learn what a difference they can make in the fight against poverty.

"It sounds funny, but I mean it when I say that I am excited about chickens."

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