For a booming population of wild chickens and ducks are running up a massive bill by pecking their way through fields -- ruffling farmers' feathers.

And they are `quacking' up because the feathered felons are getting off free after devastating plants -- while a Government programme to beat the pests had its wings cropped due to a lack of cash.

Farmers spoke out after an acre of broccoli plants was totally ruined after falling victim to bird blitzes by ducks.

Farmer Manuel DeSilva was forced to plough under the bare stalks and replant his Hamilton Parish field.

And the chicken culprits had flown the coop before farmer Joe Pacheco found more than a third of an acre of cauliflower at Ord Road, Warwick, had been ruined.

Bermuda Farmers' Association president Tom Wadson said: "It's right out of control -- to the point where these birds will really beat you up.'' And he called for more money to be found to cage the culprits as soon as possible.

But he said the best solution was to give the offenders a blast of birdshot.

Mr. Wadson said: "I've trapped hundreds over the last few years -- why they don't just go and shoot them, I don't know.

"If you get them in your field you will lose it. Something's got to give.

I've never seen devastation quite like that.'' Mr. Pacheco lost 40 percent of his cauliflower crop after a bird strike.

He said: "I've had a lot of problems -- we've caught a few, but they're getting tricky now.'' Son Roger added: "We've lost a lot of money and so have a lot of other farmers, but the Minister of the Environment doesn't seem to think it's a big problem.'' Department of Agriculture and Fisheries agriculture assistant Thomas Sinclair said farmers' nest eggs were being seriously affected.

He added: "A farmer may be able to gross between $10-12,000 from an acre of broccoli or cauliflower.

"You can understand why he might be a bit upset about losing this potential revenue as well as all the seed, time and labour invested in this crop.'' Mr. Sinclair said most of the damage is done when the plants are young.

Chickens and ducks love the tender leaves and strip the fledgling plants down to the stalks.

Mr. Sinclair said: "Two fields of produce were recently ravaged in this way.

So severe was the damage that the farmer had no choice but to plow in the remaining stalks and plants again.'' He said the second field was an acre of cauliflower that was one-third destroyed before the farmer could do anything about it.'' Mr. Sinclair's statements were contained in the latest edition of Agriculture and Fisheries Monthly Bulletin.

He reported that -- due to a lack of money in Government coffers -- farmers were having to set, bait and monitor traps themselves, with assistance from the Department, although he admitted turning the raiders into jailbirds was not easy.

He said: "Trapping seems to be the only humane way of catching these culprits.'' But he added: "Trapping is labour-intensive and not always effective.''