Once again I'm debating getting my first cockerel. This'll sound like a daft question to HenGen, but my mental health does benefit from a good cuddle with my hens on a regular basis. If I've got a cockerel, will I still be able to cuddle my hens? Will the cockerel let me pick up his girls for a bit of affection, or will he get jealous & go for me?
Cockerel question
- Thread starter Icemaiden
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Hen-Gen
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Not daft at all ( well perhaps a little bit
). From quite a lot of experience I would say they vary enormously. Some are real sweeties and some attack on sight. Certainly breeds vary, though not exclusively. Avoid any of the game breeds. Also lighter breeds generally are a bit more feisty. My worst cockerel was a Minorca. Flew up to rake my face. Really dangerous and he had to go. Orpington’s are usually very gentle. Wyandottes too. But whatever you get if he grows to be a bad’n then you could get someone to despatch him. In my experience the presence or absence of hens has little effect. Also I had a really gentle Orloff who attacked a neighbour at every opportunity.
). From quite a lot of experience I would say they vary enormously. Some are real sweeties and some attack on sight. Certainly breeds vary, though not exclusively. Avoid any of the game breeds. Also lighter breeds generally are a bit more feisty. My worst cockerel was a Minorca. Flew up to rake my face. Really dangerous and he had to go. Orpington’s are usually very gentle. Wyandottes too. But whatever you get if he grows to be a bad’n then you could get someone to despatch him. In my experience the presence or absence of hens has little effect. Also I had a really gentle Orloff who attacked a neighbour at every opportunity.Thanks Hen-Gen.
If I get one, it'll be a Silverudds Bla https://hensonoxney.co.uk/collections/rare-breeds/products/silverudds-bla?variant=39836622717033 . It's a layer of green eggs, so I guess there are somd arucana genes in there- they're not legbar shape. I guess I'll have to wait & see. I'm thinking of a trio of the Silverudds, a cream legbar (requested by my husband as he misses "Tufty", who was his favourite) and some kind of hybrid that's likely to accept being cuddled!
so it's a question of the temperament of the Silverudds cockerel, I guess?
If I get one, it'll be a Silverudds Bla https://hensonoxney.co.uk/collections/rare-breeds/products/silverudds-bla?variant=39836622717033 . It's a layer of green eggs, so I guess there are somd arucana genes in there- they're not legbar shape. I guess I'll have to wait & see. I'm thinking of a trio of the Silverudds, a cream legbar (requested by my husband as he misses "Tufty", who was his favourite) and some kind of hybrid that's likely to accept being cuddled!
so it's a question of the temperament of the Silverudds cockerel, I guess?
bigyetiman
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They certainly look lovely birds, hope you get what you want
Hen-Gen
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I’d never even heard of Silverudds so nothing to say about them. I’m currently running on a Mottled Orpington x Exchequer Leghorn boy. Hope he’s as well behaved as his parents. He’ll be in a breeding pen next year so I’ll see how he performs in that department. I’ve just two Pullets going tomorrow then that’s me cleaned out on all this years surplus youngsters. Similarly surplus sheep going mid month then that’s me settled for the winter ( apart from one wether who’s going in my freezer in November). Must resist the temptation of a puppy. Kinda keen on an Aussie terrier. Used to breed Cairns but lovely though they are they take a lot of coat maintainance.
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That's what worries me- breeders running out of stock worth having. It transpires that (unlike Marigold) I don't have the heart to dispatch my 2 remaining 4 year old ex-batts (with the feather pecking habit that I don't want passed on to my next flock). They're still happy, laying about 7 eggs per week between the two of them and thoroughly enjoying life.
Dispatching a sick hen who no longer has quality of life is one thing, but when they're still so full of beans it's another matter entirely
Dispatching a sick hen who no longer has quality of life is one thing, but when they're still so full of beans it's another matter entirely
bigyetiman
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I am lucky enough to have the room to keep older healthier hens, but it must be a quandary for people who are not keen on dispatching a healthy hen.
nicely summed upNot daft at all ( well perhaps a little bit
but i feel sorry for your neighbours, to whom it attacks
I'm thinking of getting a cockerel when I get my next flock, but I've already been round to check whether they (the neighbours, that is) mind. Our previous neighbours bred chickens for competitions, so they wouldn't have minded at all...nicely summed up
but i feel sorry for your neighbours, to whom it attacks
I've only had two hens make it across the fence to next door. I'm guessing that cockerels, being heavier, will find it more difficult to clear a 4' fence, so there shouldn't be much risk of my neighbours encountering them...
Hen-Gen
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…… and if you do have an escape artist then you can clip his wing feathers. This is painless if done correctly. Guides on YouTube.
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I clipped the wings (one per bird, of course) of my first flock of ex-batts. If you're doing it to a cockerel, does it matter which wing you do?
Hen-Gen
Well-known member
Now the Labour Party are in power I would say left wing.
