Hi, New member!

[MrTwang]

Hello all...

I stumbled across this forum looking for a Cockerel for my 7 girls. Not an ideal way to find a forum but thought I'd say hello rather then joining and staying ever silent!

Perhaps one day I can give something back to the forum!!

I have 7 as mentioned... 2 Light sussex, 2 burford Browns and 2 Cotswold Legbars... The last is unknown (hybrid I assume) but resembles a Leghorn.

I have had them for 18 months (Leghorn only 12ish)... I origanally bought them from Legbars of Broadway. I wouldn't use him again.... Now I know what to look for I would say he has been cross breading a little too long. But that's a different story and I'm not here to hand out negative comments.

They live in a Omlet Cube and have the extended run attached. This is mated to a big walk in run built by myself... (Poor gingy was poorly last year so I took 2 days off work to build her a new house to keep her medicine seperate from the rest! 17 )

They have a Dusk till Dawn pop hole allowing them access to the garden at all times they are awake.. plenty of shade and plenty of dusty earth the bathe in!

All my friends and next door rib me as they are spoilt!

I'm currently looking for a Cockerel to sort out the recent bickering that has started... Think they want a man! Next door is a retired farmer (had a 3000 chicken farm) and my other 2 neibours (sp?) love chickens. We already have a cockerel in the close so noise isn't an issue! 99


Thanks for reading, I won't be leaving!


Paul.

 

[chrismahon]

Welcome to the forum Paul. Plenty of people giving away unwanted cockerels so I'm sure you will be inundated with offers.

 

[Marigold]

Hi Paul, welcome from me, too. It sounds as if you will fit in here right away. If you could say whereabouts you live, you might get more help with your search for a cockerel. As Chris says, lots of people have lovely spare boys they are glad to find good homes for.

 

[MrTwang]

Thanks for the welcome!

And yes a location is a good start! I'm located in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

I'm actually looking for a silver/grey Dorking, or a Barnevelder, preferably a Dorking as it's a UK breed if I'm correct in saying..

I spoke to the girls, showed them the photos and they narrowed it down to those two!

My neighbour has two surplus bantam light Sussex boys that he needs to find a home for... I was going to take one of them but thought it might cause friction if I ever get one of the above two... So I'll be leaving the Sussex for someone else.

I'm not interested in breeding, just want to keep a happy hen house and with any luck stop the feather pecking from the back end!

One question.... I'll be going to the National poultry show this November for the first time. Can I purchase a bird from there or is it a show only?
May seem like a silly question but not having been before I don't quite know the score...


Paul.

 

[Marigold]

You can purchase from the show, I believe. I may be wrong, but I would imagine that birds from there would possibly be quite pricey compared with locally bred ones as they would tend to be for breeding or showing rather than more domestic use. Also there's the aspect of stress to the birds, being transported to the show, among all the deafening noise, and then taken on to you, possibly bringing some illness or infestation with them, from a home background you hadn't inspected, and with no backup if anything went wrong. Moving home is always very stressful for chickens, even if its done quietly and smoothly, and stress can depress their immune systems, making them more likely to go down to infections they might otherwise have resisted. The birds are very closely packed, in cages which may not be sterile, so are open to infection. Personally I would rather choose for myself from a local a breeder, in daylight, and observe the birds moving around, in the surroundings they have lived in.

 

[foxy]

Hi Mr Twang and welcome to the forum! Sounds like a good set up you have 17
The National is a real experience and a treat for poultry lovers. There will be around 6500 birds on show as well as loads of information regarding breeds. Most breeds will have breed stands up so you can not only view the birds but talk to the breeders. Only the exhibitors are allowed sell via the sales cages and I don't think it is usual to sell single cockerels, you will find pairs/trios available. There are long queues for the sales stock, and the best is sold very quickly on the Saturday.

 

[chrismahon]

If you contact the breeders club Paul, before you go to the show, you may be able to arrange to collect a cockerel there from one of the exhibitors. We did something like that when we wanted a Brown English Leghorn Bantam cockerel -contacted them at the show and went back the next day because it was only 40 minutes from us then.

 

[MrTwang]

Well... Thanks for the replys!

I have just secured myself a Silver grey Dorking! I'd rather take it off the hands of someone looking to move them on rather than a bird purpose bread for profit... I don't mine paying for the right bird but prefer it to go into the pocket of an enthusiast rather than a trader!

All going well he'll be rehomed next Wednesday... I have a cat basket with a thick blanket that I cut to fit over it to keep dark that I use for transporting the flock in! Although I'll only get one in at a time now!! I've only had to use it once for a vet visit for gingy when she wasn't too well.
Luckily I have a vet in my family 17

I'm going to take a little longer introducing him to the girls than I did with little Pearl because he'sa bit younger...
With pearl I had an hours notice! Within 3 days she was pecking around with the flock with minimum fuss!

My knack was to put her in the run separated from the others during the day (the others still had the run of the garden). Then at night time when it was dark took her out of her nest box and put her in with the others.
I got up at 05.30 just before dawn and moved her back into the run... I repeated this for 3 nights. The following morning they all went out to dig up my lawn under my watchful eye. No fuss! It took another week to properly fit in and be part of the flock.

This weekend I'll build a segregation so the others can still get out the run and the new boy should have plenty of space and his own food / water. He'll still be face to face with them but unreachable!

When I get a chance I'll post up some photos of their set up... I'm thinking of building a little swing for them (don't laugh) as they love to pearch... They have trees but don't seem to climb them (not a bad thing)!

:lol:

 

[chrismahon]

Well you seem to be on top of all this introducing Paul. A difficult process sometimes for many, including us. We have had a cockerel totally rejected by the hens on two occasions. We solved the problem by putting him in the run on his own and adding the lowest hen in the pecking order. Once he had trodden her we added the next lowest hen and carried on until he was the cockerel of a flock awaiting the top hen. She submitted because he was the cockerel of an established flock. She remained the top hen but was subservient to him.

Swing sounds interesting. Ours don't like perches that move.