Why did the chicken cross the road? We may never know. But one thing we do know, is that road safety is important. So much so that the owners of a couple of chickens in Milton Keynes have kitted theirs out with hi-vis jackets.
Davina and Deidre - that's the birds, not the owners - have become local celebrities thanks to their fancy new coats, which they wear as they refuse to stay in their coop and instead like to go for a five-mile roam every day.
The hens set off about 7am every morning, one wearing a fluorescent pink jacket and the other a bright yellow one.
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Thanks to their fancy jackets, they're often spotted by locals in the area of Galley Hill and Stony Stratford, in Milton Keynes, before they go back home for their dinner.
One resident said: "I love it when they come in my garden and eat the snails that eat away at my plants.
"They're doing me a good turn. They're part of the community now and they brighten our days."
While another bird-fan added: "Everybody knows them and we all love them. It really brightens up your day when they come to see you."
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Owner David Williams says that he had initially tried to keep the chickens restricted to his garden but that they were having none of it.
He said: "I started off trying to keep them in. But right from the start they had other ideas - they wanted to be free to go where they wanted."
Realising he was fighting a losing battle, David decided the least he could do was to ensure they were safe, so he bought them a couple of hi-vis jackets.
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"They started their wandering in the summer, when the evenings were still light," he explained.
"But as the nights got darker, we were worried that people wouldn't spot them if they were near a road of on a driveway."
David, who bought their hens as a birthday present for his eight-year old son, said that both birds leave an egg before they set off each day and that since they've been taking part in their daily strolls, the quality and quantity of the eggs has improved.
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He said: "We still feed them proper food and people give them all kinds of titbits. But they enjoy finding food for themselves too.
"It must be doing them good because their eggs are amazing."
Fair enough, crack on then, girls. They truly are free range.
Featured Image Credit: SWNS