Drive-by dumping

chrismahon

chrismahon

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Well it's happened again. Someone has driven by in the night and dumped 4 cockerels on some waste ground nearby. No food, no water, no shelter. The area is just overrun with brambles and full of rubbish so damaged feet is likely. Thought the acoustics here were a bit funny when I sat outside at 5.30am with a cup of tea and heard cockerels in stereo. Two Pekin bantams and two Wellsummers perhaps? I've thrown them wheat and provided water and now I have to catch them and try to find homes -I've got a week before our flock is closed. We have a spare isolation coop and run fortunately -where Growler Gandalf and his hens used to live.

Two years ago someone drove past our house and threw a Pekin bantam cockerel down the drive. He paniced and flew into the canal, was rescued and we found him a grateful new home a few weeks later -lovely feathering and a very friendly cockerel he still is.

What is wrong with people???
 
I find this quite upsetting - I live not far from a woodland, and yet again there have been cockerel dumpings! There were four in one spot and another five not 100 yards down the road! It happens every year and really gets my goat. I'm not mobile or quick enough on my feet to even try and catch them and sort - stop the car and they take off into the undergrowth!

Do wish that people who hatch flippin chicks would take more responsibility for them. It's all fine and dandy not wanting to kill something,but not fair on the chicken just dumping it because you can't be bothered to find it a home or make the ultimate decision on it!

Sorry rant over!
 
Yes Philcott. Condemmed to a slow and painful death in the cold, starving and thirsty because someone 'plays' at chicken hatching and can't deal with the consequences responsibly. The lucky ones will be caught by a fox and killed quickly.
 
Beggars belief, think with some people its a case of out of sight out of mind, havent got the guts to cull but its ok if they freeze or starve to death.
As you say the lucky ones will be dinner for a fox, makes me :evil:
 
Took us an hour and a half to catch them all. Pekins were caught by a neighbour with a landing net in mid-air. We drove them out of the brambles like a pheasant flush! One of the possible Wellsummers, but think it is a cross, came to grain, the other took an hour to catch. Fortunately the bramble damage is superficial and they've all settled into a coop. They have never been in one beforeand had to put them in it. Must have been kept in a warm shed somewhere with no run just perches, because they were not used to the cold (and its been mild) at all -combs going blue! All quite skinny.

Will post some photos to see if anyone is interested, but realistically I expect we can only offer them a swift death, having simply saved them from a very slow one.
 
This is becoming a more frequent occurence! Last autumn, somebody abandoned five Crossbred Millefleur Belgian Type Cockerels, at a remote Grain store near to where I live. Amazingly all have survived thus far and appear to be thriving! They roost in the trees that surround the Granary, and have all the spilt wheat they can eat. They don't wander far, and are reasonably approachable, although attempts by others to catch them have failed miserably so far.

it's my hunch that these incidents are largely to do with the increase in popularity of the hobby. Well meaning but ill prepared folk succumbing to the lure of a few hatching eggs to pop under a broody, or into an incubator, and not having the heart or know-how to deal with the inevitable surplus Cockerels that result! To them, abandonment seems to be the kindest option!

I have in the past, found OEG Cockerels 'released' into Pheasant pens on some of the shoots I attend, and for some time, four large Cuckoo Maranses made their home in the wooded verge of the layby they were abandoned at on the B3081 not four miles from my home. On the edge of the village where I live, there is a large Free Range Poultry farm, thousands of Little Red Hens foraging over acres of Pasture. The farmer owner has on occasion phoned me to help him rehome various waifs and strays that have been Launched over the High hedge and electric fence that borders his Hen's field! Black Rocks, Silkies, Mongrel Bantams, Pekins etc etc have all been passed on to me from him over time for rehoming.
 
and its only going to get worse , why do people do things like this it makes me mad and its not only the birds being dumped its all animals ok dont get me started just want to say thankyou chris and others for at least giving the birds a chance :D
 
Well one Pekin was despatched after a few days as it was incredibly nasty. Very stocky little thing and attacked all of them repeatedly. Bloody combs on the two Wellsummer crosses.

The littlest Pekin brother has just been despatched having lived what seemed to be a happy 5 more weeks having been wormed, treated to apples (which they didn't recognise), cabbage and corn. He had at last become tame enough to catch, whereas previously he just went airborn. Checked hin over to discover he was very light and had very bad scaley leg mite. Plus his two coopmates had started blocking the pophole door (sit like tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb both half in and half out) and leaving him outside at night. We decided not to delay the inevitable and spend a load of time and causing considerable stress by treating him.

The last two will have to go together, as we can't leave one on his own. Real shame as they are lovely. The subordinate one has a fantasticly varied crow -the most musical we have in the Orchard. The dominant one can't crow very well at all, but is quite friendly (or brave). The coop they are in has to be creosoted and returned to the owner shortly, so they haven't got long left.
 
Good news is we have found a home for 'Dinky and Donky' (pinched the names from Karminski) and they go week tomorrow to Newark and stay together. Of course once they get amongst the girls they probably won't be quite so happy with each other! They are really sweet and have grown up a lot since we've had them. Good size and good looking colourful lads they are too. So it would have been a real shame to despatch them.
Moving to a temporary coop tomorrow fitted with Dilly's run (she has to have a smaller one for a week) and then dusting for mite. Their coop goes back to its owner on the same trip after red mite treatment.
 
ohh another dinky and donkey :D :D :D :D such such a shame i could not of kept my 2 :( :( bl888888y fox had them in the end at thier new home but then again the guy did have the most pants built set up ever , do you have pics chris ;)
 
Think I've got a picture somewhere but should take another before they go and then I can post it with some others Karminski.

I give them mixed grain. They take it in turns to make foody noises but then don't eat it. Same with apple and Purple Sprouting leaves. Daft pair. Picked them both up today and they loved it -not!
 
i'm proud that you decided to call them dinky and donkey brill names for chickens :lol: :lol: i have gone into the run and called them by accident even though they are not there but now i do have tia and mia { struggling like mad to save tias eye though and i think i am losing the battle but back on a good course of antibiotics tomorrow recommended by a very good friend }
 
What a lucky pair of boys Chris! Well done on getting them rehomed! :D :-)08 :-)08
 
Well the first time 'Squeaky' was thrown down our drive from a passing car and I saw him fly past the window and the car driving away. Obviously they targeted us as we have chickens. He has a nice home with girls now Diane.

These were just dumped on some waste ground down the road and across the canal. Local poultry farmer has loads of different breed cockerels thrown over the fence into his free-range enclosure. Goes through the coops at night taking them out -they are eating into his profits, literally!!

Dinky and Donky will have a whole field to run around in. Realistically they may eventually be taken by a fox but it will be quick and they certainly won't be left to die of thirst, starvation or exposure.
 
A happy ending at last for Dinky and Donky but sad to see them go as they are a pair of characters.

DSCN0371 resized.jpg
In their temporary coop and run just prior to leaving. Made a bit of fuss when picked up and shoved in a cardboard box, but just outside Newark they started crowing!

DSCN0373 resized.jpg
They were unloaded into a very large shed and immediately went into a panic -agoraphobia! Donky came out first and immediately 'made aquaintances' with one of the hens. Dinky was a bit more cautious, but some of the hens went into the shed and lured him out. In the photo all the hens have gone into hiding it appears. Yes, that is a small goat in the background -very cute!
 
oohhhhhhhhhh i just loveeeeeeeeeeeeeee the names :lol: :lol: :lol: you have a goat or is that at thier new home :D and i have to agree they are handsome boys .
 
all of my cockrels that arent wanted are dead by week two . people need to be better educated to do the same
 
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