Chickens were removed from Canna while a project to eradicate rats was underway. As that work draws to an end, the Trust is helping islanders prepare for the return of poultry, providing new chicken coops that are due for delivery today. The first chickens will arrive in the next few weeks.

The project to remove rats began in 2005, after the conservation charity decided it must act to protect Canna’s internationally important seabird colonies. Predation by rats on the eggs and chicks of the ground-nesting seabirds was seriously affecting their population.

It was important that poultry were not on the island while the Trust was trying to eradicate rats as scraps of food left out for the chickens provide rats with a ready food supply, which would have hindered attempts to eradicate them.

Richard Luxmoore, Senior Nature Conservation Adviser, said:

“The return of chickens to the island is only possible now that our work to eradicate rats is coming to an end. We are very grateful to the islanders who have foregone their fresh eggs for the past few years while we undertook this important project to protect Canna’s seabird population. A final monitoring visit is underway now.”

The project to protect Canna’s seabirds, funded by the European LIFE Nature fund and Scottish Natural Heritage, ends later this month. The last confirmed rat sighting was in February 2006 – more than 2 years ago.