€1m hen study to stamp out the pecking habit

SCIENTISTS have been awarded an £850,000 (€1m) grant to come up with a plan to stop hens pecking each other.

Animal behaviourists at Bristol University say hen-pecking leads to the deaths of thousands of birds in the UK each year and hurts farmers financially.

Researchers will use the money to find a solution to the problem, then produce an information pack to show farmers how to stop the cannibalism themselves.