Eight rare chickens stolen from city farm

The chickens were stolen from Ouseburn Farm in Newcastle

Eight rare chickens have been stolen from a city farm.

The birds, which include a breed of the black Ayam Cemani, were taken from Ouseburn Farm in Newcastle last weekend.

Manager Katie Bates said the team were devastated and really worried about the safety of the animals.

She said the thief would have had to bring a car to the farm, as well as cages to take the animals. Northumbria Police said it was investigating.

Ms Bates said the chickens were likely stolen on Saturday night.

"When we came in on Sunday we realised they'd been taken," she said. "It feels like quite a calculated thing.

"They would have to get over the fences and then to get them all out... eight is quite a lot and they're tricky little things to catch."

The stolen chickens, which all belonged to rare breeds, were worth about £400.

One of the birds is an Ayam Cemani and had been raised from birth by one of the team's farmers.

The breed is particularly unusual as it is all black, including its meat and organs.

The remaining seven birds were made up of Silkies and Banthams.

Silkies have big tufts on their heads

"Silkies have big tufts on their heads and they're quite striking," Ms Bates said.

"Banthams have loads of feathers on their legs and so they look like they're wearing little flares."

"They're not your average chickens."

Ms Bates said the farm, which is run as a charity, would be getting more security.

"It feels like an invasion of our very safe space here in a very tight knit community," she said.

"We're all really sad about it. We just really hope the chickens are being taken care of."

Police asked anyone with information about the theft to get in touch.