which are destroying their gardens and disturbing their sleep.

And they have called on Government to come up with a plan "immediately'' -- although many have already taken matters into their own hands.

But trainee Government Veterinary officer Dr. Susann Smith advised residents not to act rashly.

Instead, she said they should catch the birds and turn them over to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The birds will then be reared at the Prison Farm.

"We have received at least 30 complaints so far from people all over the Island about these wild chickens,'' Dr. Smith said. "Much of it is a consequence of our successful campaign to rid the Island of stray dogs, their natural predators.'' Two hundred chickens have been caught and are in pens built by prison farm inmates, thanks to a $2,500 donation from a local firm.

Dr. Smith is heading up a project designed to use the stray chickens to teach animal husbandry skills to inmates.

"We want to help them to develop skills they will be able to use once they are integrated back into society,'' she added.

However, such warnings have failed to reach at least one longtime Warwick resident.

The man, who has lived in the area for more than 30 years and spoke to The Royal Gazette on condition that his name is not be used, said he has several spots on his property where the feed is laced with poison.

His property adjoins Burnt House Hill. He said the problem began three months ago after his neighbour Mr. Maxwell Smith died.

"He had a mini farm with about 500 chickens but when he died they were allowed to run wild.

"Every morning at 1.30 a.m. they start crowing for 15-20 minutes. Then they quiet down until 3 a.m. and have their final blow out around 6 a.m.'' The man said he has caught a few of the birds and he has a barrel in which he burns their dead bodies after they have been poisoned.

Pointing to the seven birds he currently has in two cages, the man said he is going to kill them too.

Noise is not the only complaint neighbours have. One woman said her 15-square foot garden has been totally destroyed.

"I had a nice bed of lettuce, chives, parsley and tomatoes which my husband and I started last year,'' she said. "As soon as they were ready for harvest those chickens got to them and destroyed everything.

"These chickens are nothing but a menace,'' she said. "We're fed up.'' Not all neighbours share this view, however. The Royal Gazette understands that one woman feeds the chickens every day, causing resentment between her and those neighbours who want to see the chickens destroyed.

Nevertheless Dr. Smith said her department has been working since December to deal with the problem.

She wrote a proposal in January to build a chicken coop at the Prison Farm. In May it was approved and a team of Prison officers have agreed to work alongside the Government's Veterinary team and form a task force.

This task force will supervise the inmates and ensure that they follow proper procedures in rearing the chickens which will be used for eggs and meat.

Those of show quality will be separated and made ready for competition.

Dr. Smith said she wanted the prison farm to return to its original mission -- a penal institution that produced high quality meat, eggs and vegetables from its own stock.

FOWL MENACE -- Hundreds of stray chickens are causing problems for people throughout the Island. This bird was photographed at Laffan Street in Hamilton.