Army of chickens introduced to Great Barrier Island to combat plague of Aussie skinks

An island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf has come up with a novel way to get rid of some pesky Aussies wreaking havoc on the land.

An army of 200 chickens is being used to exterminate the Australian plague skinks that have made themselves at home on Great Barrier Island.

"We originally just started with trapping the skinks, but we needed some new tools, so a couple of landowners and people in council and DOC thought well Chickens are great predators," Auckland Council's Shanti Morgan says.

Since the chickens' introduction, skink numbers are down and there's an abundance of something else.

Eggs are now firmly on the menu at the Auckland City Mission, with the plentiful bi-product being shipped back to the mainland by Sealink Ferry.