Feathers were ruffled Tuesday when a game hen led officers on adaring high-speed foot chase across the road – Monticello Streetand Railroad Avenue in the mid-morning traffic to be exact.

Brookhaven Police Officer Penny Banks notified Animal ControlOfficer Joe Poole of the chicken on the loose in downtown Tuesdaymorning.

“‘We’ve got a chicken in town,’ she said,” said Poole inrecalling the alert. “She told me, ‘Just come on down and get thischicken!'”

Meanwhile, the game hen proved she was definitely not chicken,strutting bravely up and down the railroad tracks. Poole said itwas by far the strangest call he’s taken in a while, as well as afairly dangerous one.

“I had to run out in the traffic, and it was hard to keep myeyes on the chicken when I was having to watch the cars,” he said.”But everyone took caution, they saw what was going on, and I wasfine and the chicken was fine.

“In the end, everything turned out beautiful.”

Although the chicken gave flight when confronted by the law, shecaused very little trouble once apprehended. Poole and Banks wereable to run her into a net they had laid over a little bridgeacross a ditch in the grass next to Monticello Street.

“It fought just a little when I got it untangled,” said Poole.”But I hope everything turns out for the best. She’s a really goodlittle hen.”

After Poole and Banks apprehended the feathered fugitive, Pooletransported her to the pound, where she is currently occupying acoop and awaiting a home. Poole hopes her actual owner will reclaimher, though at this point there is no way of telling where she camefrom.

“The chicken will be up for adoption now,” said Poole.

He added the bird’s up for adoption as a pet only, not as thelead role in someone’s chicken alfredo or chicken gumbo.

“I’ll make sure the person who adopts her has other chickens athome, too,” he said.

Poole also said he hoped during the chase the hen would lead himback to where he believed she might have nested, but he wasn’t ableto locate any eggs. He said there might be eggs and a nestsomewhere in the downtown area, and if anyone locates them, he’dlike them to bring them in if possible.