December 16, 2005
Why did 6,000 chickens cross the road?
by Gulliver
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The sight of 6,000 chickens crossing the road at  one time was enough to make any motorist squawk.

But it was no joke for frustrated Irish drivers who were confronted with the sight on a highway in County Cavan.

Chaos ensued as hundreds of the birds stopped to lay their eggs in the middle of the busy roadway.

The mass chicken run drama happened when an articulated truck carrying the free-range hens shed its load at a sharp bend.

The birds had reached the end of their egg-producing life and were on their way to the slaughterhouse just two weeks before Christmas 2005.

It was a case of every bird for itself, as the crates crashed on to the road and the panicked hens made their dash for freedom.

They flapped into the path of oncoming cars and laid hundreds of eggs.

Some people saw their chance to do a little free Christmas shopping. One opportunistic woman was seen with a bag of eggs in one hand and a chicken under her other arm. Another man made his getaway with two chickens in his car trunk.

An unflappable Irish police said there was no question of fowl play, and they joined with a team of local council staff to divert traffic around the birds.

The road remained blocked for a time until the freed hens were rounded up and the road was cleared and washed clean of slippery eggs and bird carcasses.

(source:lifeisajoke.com)

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