Beware the domesticated fowl of Skyrim. In testing the upcoming fifth installment in The Elder Scrolls series, executive producer Todd Howard revealed that his team discovered a unique and hilarious bug: chickens that report crimes.

In an interview with PC Gamer, Howard was asked if Skyrim's new Radiant Story technology -- which makes NPCs interact with your character and their environments in a more realistic manner -- produced any surprises. Howard's response: neighborhood watch-like chickens.


"Something that was good lately… but this was a bug – lately we realised that chickens were reporting crimes. I found that very funny. That was just last week: 'Why are we getting caught? Oh, the CHICKENS are reporting the crimes!'"

Howard said it took time to figure out what was happening, but the dime-dropping chicken bug has been removed from the game.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is in development for Windows PCs, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The game is set for launch on November 11.


Spy Guy says: Awesome. I can't help but wonder how exactly these chickens reported the crimes they witnessed to authorities. Lassie-like squaks? Morse Code pecks?