Predating Monty Python, in July of 1957, the British Army Council order 10 Blue Peacock nuclear landmines to divide Europe and ward off a Soviet advance. However, the designers of the bomb foresaw a problem. The bomb's sensitive components had to be kept far above the average of mid-Europe in winter. They also had to be kept at that temperature for potentially several days after an invasion and subsequent deployment of the nuclear mines.

At this point the boy-wonder designers floated a couple of options for warming the device. By far the most interesting proposal was to place a coop filled with chickens and seed inside the bomb before deploying it. The chickens could survive in such conditions for at least a week- plenty of time for enemy troops to approach after the nuke was deployed. And, critically, the chicken's body heat would maintain the proper temperature, while the coop itself would (hopefully) keep them from pecking at the delicate equipment inside.