Feral chickens could become dinner table fare under a possible plan revealed by the Government.

One proposal which may be considered to tackle the problem of the estimated 30,000 hens roaming the Island is catching the birds and fattening them for food.

Acting Environment Minister Nelson Bascome revealed the idea in the House of Assembly, when he said it was just one suggestion that had been put forward.

Government is under pressure from farmers to come up with a programme to control the chickens, which have pecked away thousands of dollars worth of crops.

In some areas the problem is made worse by residents catching the birds in their neighbourhood and dumping them on another part of the Island.

Mr. Bascome said the hens could be caught and transferred to a poultry unit, where they would be given a clean bill of health and fattened for sale.

But a pest controller who has caught thousands of hens from residential and business areas says the idea is just chicken pie in the sky.

David Burrows, who with his son David, has caught and killed 8,000 chickens in the last 18 months, says the birds are fit for nothing but the dump.

And he said the cost of catching, cleaning up, fattening and selling the birds would make them more expensive than premium meat.

The Burrows operate an SOS scheme for residents troubled by marauding hens.

For a minimum of $70 they set traps, monitor them and takeaway the offending birds.

The carcasses are then either given to the Aquarium as alligator food or disposed of at the Government dump.

"How are you going to get them free of disease, feed, kill and distribute them, it all costs money,'' he said. "If you can buy 5lbs of chicken for $5, these could cost around $35 a bird.'' Mr. Burrows said they started the trapping programme after the Government curtailed their scheme.

Now they set traps all around the Island, with up to 15 birds an hour caught.

The traps are checked every day and the birds humanely destroyed.

Nelson Bascome said the Government plan was only one proposal put forward, in reply to a question from Shadow Environment Minister Gary Pitman .

Mr. Pitman called for the Government to take charge of the problem.

David Burrows can be contacted on 234 3524.