The specter of chickens being fattened up on drugs and then cruelly killed prompted a bikini-clad woman to lead a protest in Oak Harbor Saturday.

Alleging Kentucky Fried Chicken allows mistreatment of its chickens prior to being fried extra crispy, members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals urged customers to find somewhere else to dine.

PETA member Wendy Marie Tucker and three other members of the association called for a boycott of all KFC franchises due to the company’s alleged maltreatment of the birds prior to and during processing.

Wearing a yellow bikini and carrying a sign reading “KFC Tortures Chicks,” Tucker, a self-proclaimed “chick” in her own right, and her group demonstrated for nearly an hour while talking with patrons and handing out leaflets.

“This is the second time we’ve demonstrated in Oak Harbor,” Tucker said. “Our protest is part of a nationwide campaign held the first Saturday of every month.”

Oak Harbor residents Jeremy Steinsieck and Justin Therrien, along with Shaun Huff from Mount Vernon, were the others involved in the demonstration. All were also adamant in their beliefs KFC is unethical in the way birds are treated.

“It’s just wrong what they do,” said Huff.

KFC purchases 850 million chickens for public consumption every year and PETA claims to have received reports that many of the birds remain conscious as their throats are slit and they get dumped into tanks of scalding water to have the feathers stripped from their bodies.

The 25-year-old Tucker said she is the “spearhead” behind the local PETA group and has also participated in a Seattle protest. “I didn’t wear the bikini then,” she said with a smile.

Tucker said she is a very active member of PETA and she’s on the Internet every day supporting little animal causes. “Big animals, too,” she laughed, and anyone is welcome to join in the monthly protest demonstrations.

“We’ll be outside the first Saturday of every month unless maybe there is a tornado. Then we’ll be inside,” she said.

Tucker and her group created a stir in the 100 block of SW Barrington Drive. Many passing drivers honked their horns or waved, either in support of the cause or to show their enthusiasm for the bikini-clad Tucker.

Management at the Oak Harbor restaurant refused comment, but the KFC Web site states the company has had an animal welfare policy dating back to 2000 when it adopted specific, comprehensive welfare performance standards for processing chickens.

In May 2003, the company committed to the adoption of comprehensive guidelines for the humane raising and handling of poultry at the farm level and the following year developed its “industry-leading farm level audit program,” which reportedly meets or exceeds standards set by the National Chicken Council and the Food Marketing Institute.

KFC reported all suppliers completed farm-level audits in 2005 and the company began a continuous, twice-annual audit program for all supplier locations.

The company does not own or operate any poultry farms or processing facilities. Instead, it purchases chickens from, at any given time, approximately 16 different suppliers who operate up to 52 facilities around the country.