Chickens seen on the side of the road are not free for the taking. A caller to the 0800 SUNLIVE news hotline reported seeing people killing chickens near Wairoa Bridge earlier this week.

SunLive approached the Western Bay of Plenty District Council to see whether or not this behaviour was accepted.

If people see other people hurting chickens, or any animal, they are advised to report it to the SPCA as a welfare issue.

WBOPDC communications manager Peter Hennessey says if people do see any animal being hurt it's a welfare issue and they can report it to the SPCA.

'Occasionally we work in with the SPCA but primarily if people have seen this happen it's a welfare issue and should be reported to SPCA.

'There are little pockets of chickens in most rural areas and we haven't had any what we call serious requests from people with issues. The Wairoa one certainly hasn't been reported through to our customer services team.”

Feral chickens are derived from domestic chickens that have returned to the wild.

Like the Red Junglefowl, the closest wild relative of domestic chickens, feral chickens will take flight and roost in tall trees and bushes in order to avoid predators at night.

Feral chickens, like the wild Red Junglefowl, typically form social groups composed of a dominant cockerel, several hens and subordinate cocks. Sometimes the dominant cockerel is designated by a fight between cocks.