A runaway chicken hitched a lift for 25 miles - perched on the spare wheel of a Land Rover.

The escaped bird managed to flee a farm and was spotted by Dave Jacobs wandering around Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire.

He initially thought it belonged to one of his neighbours so he put it in their chicken coop as they were away for the weekend.

But a social media appeal, a farmer in Kintore, Aberdeenshire phoned Dave claiming the missing bird was his.

The farmer believes the chicken had hopped on the back of a friend's Land Rover spare wheel and stayed there for the whole journey.

Dave, 58, said he was "surprised" with the situation and added that the farmer also had a second bird missing. "

They believe it may also have hatched a lift and could be on the loose in Stonehaven.

He said: "I couldn't believe that a chicken had travelled that far at the speed of 60 or 70 miles an hour on the back of a Land Rover because it was sitting on the spare wheel, not even on the roof."

"He [farmer] says they do sit on the back of his Land Rover and if he is driving around the farm they just sit there."

Dave explained how around 6am on Saturday morning he had cycled down to the sea on his way to work at Stonehaven Paddleboarding.

He said he spotted a chicken and thought it was "a bit random". "

"I tried to catch it but I couldn't so I left it to wander," he said."

With the help of other people, he successful catch the kitchen.

Dave said the house nearby had chickens, so they initially assumed it might be from there and put it in the coop.

He then posted an appeal on social media which led to the farmer from Kintore contacting him.

At this point the couple who lives near Dave said the chicken was not theirs.

On Sunday the farmer travelled to Stonehaven and told a him a friend had driven there from the farm early on Saturday.

He said: "The chicken had roosted on the back of his friends Land Rover spare wheel who had been visiting him the evening before. "

"His friend was travelling to Stonehaven the next morning to go paddleboarding in Stonehaven."

"Two other chicken had roosted at the back of the Land Rover on the outside of it."

"They obviously got off at Stonehaven and were wondering around and that guy went out paddleboarding and didn't notice the chickens."

"But I only found out one chicken running about so God only knows where the other chicken is."