A cracking idea has proved to be eggs-actly what the viewing public wants to watch in the feathered version of Big Brother.

Over the last few days thousands of dedicated viewers have watched the births of baby chicks live on internet blog-site hencam.co.uk.

The cameras link up to a website which has been operating from a home in Wilsden since 2004.

The birds are filmed 24 hours a day and have captured the imagination of thousands of people around the world.

Creators Neil Whitaker and his daughter, Scarlet Williams, 18, are thrilled with their new additions, although they were not created by the original stars of the show - hens Milly, Tilly and Penny.

Instead, the two humans hatched the chicks themselves after a friend bought some eggs off ebay.

Mr Whitaker said: "We originally got the idea because we had chickens and a webcam and we decided to join the two together.

"In the first few days we only got a few dozen hits so we didn't know whether to carry on. But we got more and more and we started making new friends and now we have about 2,000 hits a day.

"Usually the camera is pointing at the hens, but obviously with people's interest in the chicks, they are now the star attraction.

"A friend's mother bought some eggs off ebay for school children so they could hatch the chicks themselves. But, due to the Easter break, we said we would take them in for hencam and people showed an interest in watching them hatching, so we decided to move the camera and we can watch them grow up."

Last year, hencam was recognised as one of the Internet's most successful blog sites after winning the Weird and Wonderful category in the first Best of Brit Blog Awards (BOBBs).

While Neil, who works for Acorn Stairlifts in Steeton, could cash in by offering for sale hencam merchandise, he keeps the project as a hobby.

And the craze is catching on. Over in Earby, farmer Dan Proctor has introduced a webcam that films lambing season.

To view the new chicks, log on to hencam.co.uk. To watch go to lambwatch.co.uk.