Transport chiefs have condemned a plane passenger who tried to smuggle a weapon onto a plane by concealing it inside a raw chicken.
They were caught by officers from Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport in the US.
The gun was seen before boarding and was crammed inside the chicken before being wrapped in paper.
Officers had fun with the act on Instagram, but said the scheme "wasn't even half-baked".
They did not reveal how the plan came about but images on TSA's Instagram account showed officers unwrapping the bird inside an airport screening area before they found the gun and unwrapped it.
The agency enjoyed festive puns with Thanksgiving on the horizon and joked that its officers "are always working around the cluck to keep you safe".
A TSA spokesperson wrote: "The plot chickens as we barrel our way closer to Thanksgiving.
"We hate to beak it to you here, but stuffing a firearm in your holiday bird for travel is just a baste of time.
"This idea wasn't even half-baked; it was raw, greasy, and obviously unsupervised. The only roast happening here is this poor packing choice."
"Feather you like it or not, there are rules for traveling with guns and ammunition," the TSA concluded.
US airlines do allow firearms to be carried on airlines but weapons must be checked-in baggage and must be unloaded and put in a locked hard-sided container.
The TSA seized a record number of firearms at US airports last year and approximately 85 per cent were loaded.
Travellers are often exasperated at how strict airport security is.
Over the years they have discovered some bizarre finds, including a chainsaw stored in hand-luggage and a hand grenade and something the agency called a "meth burrito" found in an airport in Houston.
US Transport Police have in the past released shocking photographs of the lethal weapons airline passengers tried to board with in the past year.
The Mirror reported how a haul of concealed contraband ranges from samurai swords, to pistols, bullets, grenades, inert land mines and live explosives.
Suspicious black powder, flare guns, 562 stun guns and a live "sting ball" riot control grenade were also stopped from being loaded onto aircraft.
Officers from the Transport Security Administration, part of the Department of Homeland Security, screened 638,705,790 passengers across the US.
Around five guns per day were fund during checks at 205 airports and firearms were the most confiscated item, with 1,813 being seized.
In about 80 per cent of cases the guns were loaded, the TSA said.
One of the more bizarre items to be found was a bazooka from World War 2 in a carry on bag at Chicago O'Hare airport and a mace.
The wood and metal club was a popular weapon in Europe during the Middle Ages for being used in battle and later in South America.
