Motorists in Co Cavan faced long delays this morning after 5,000 chickens made a break for freedom when the truck they were travelling in overturned.
Sgt Jim Green
The incident happened near a sharp bend on the N55 south of Ballinagh, Co Cavan, just before 7am.
The southbound lane of the road was blocked and motorists were urged to take extreme caution.
Some of the "live cargo" laid eggs on the road, causing the surface to be slippery. Drivers were also warned that the birds were both on the road and attempted to fly across it. The lorry was removed after two hours from the road and the driver is not thought to have been injured.
However, the chickens continued to cause difficulty as they dispersed into nearby fields. "The number of hens is expected to be in the region of 5,000 plus," Sgt Jim Green of Cavan Garda Station said.
"The live hens are currently encroaching onto the road causing a major hazard for motorists" said.
"Because of the nature of the live cargo they are spreading out and it is hard to control the scene . . . they could actually cause another serious accident," he added.
The company that owns the truck was asked to round up the chickens.
Commenting on the incident, Emma Caufield of AA Roadwatch said: "Over the last few years AA Roadwatch have had reports of loose horses, loose cows, loose sheep, a loose duck - we've even had a camel that escaped from a local circus spotted on the side of a main road."
