SAANICH, B.C. – Police and firefighters north of Victoria had to work hard not to ruffle any feathers during an unusual roundup involving dozens of chickens.

Personnel were called to five different locations on the Saanich peninsula Thursday to catch 91 hens.

Officials quickly hatched a plan to herd the birds into an available tennis court while waiting for animal control crews to arrive.

Central Saanich Const. Ann Piper says civilians helped with efforts to capture the mislaid egg layers that were wandering in the mostly rural area.

She says farmers told officers the hens looked old and past their prime, and one had to be euthanized.

Piper says everyone is still brooding over the question of where the chickens came from, trying to determine if they escaped or were dumped.

"We had the help of a local farmer in our area. Ryan Vantreight came up and helped, he owns a lot of the land around there. And he called all the local farmers and no one had any missing chickens," said Piper.

Large companies that handle chickens were also contacted and Piper said none were missing any birds, either.

Officials are hoping the owner comes forward, but the chickens could be adopted if that doesn't happen.