Brooding hen has chicks in nesting box

[Ark]

Advice please - our lovely animal loving neigbour has admitted that our golden Seabright cockerel is driving her crazy - she is on happy pills and going through a really rough time so I know it was hard for her to admit it.

 

We bought this truly beautiful trio only 3 weeks ago and Algy's crowing is really not that bad - but they are wonderful neighbours and I think my farmer friends will take him (can't think about it too much at the moment as she only spoke to my husband this morning and the grim reality of having to say goodbye to Algy has not sunk in)

 

So - my query is - can we keep the 2 girls (Gwendolen and Cecily) and will they be happy? - if so could we introduce a couple more fancy lady bantams in the fullness of time? (they are all in an Eglu classic on the lawn and look so beautiful)

 

If we send Algy to the farm on his own will he pine away without company? Should I send Algy plus one lady friend away to the farm?

 

I realise from all the web sites and advice that we cannot stop the crowing so Algy will have to go - so sadly our semi-urban cockerel experiment lasted 3 weeks!!!!

 

I also have 4 hybrid chooks in a home made run and an eglu go for egg laying girls - if I am left with just one Seabright will she mix with a Light sussex, Magpie, Pepperpot and Gingernut Ranger?

 

All advice most welcome - feeling very dispirited at the moment!

[Daphne]

Welcome to the forum Ark And I'm sorry your first post is a sad one and that you've found out the hard way that cockerals are noisy, regardless of size.

 

Whats the set-up at your farmer friends'? Do they already have chooks - in which case Algy will already have some ladies to practice on, even if they are a bit big for him If so, I'd do that and keep the remaining 2 girls yourself. They should be fine unless they've been a trio for ages - Tricia on here has a trio of poland bantams which seem joined at the hip, but I know other people where the birds in question couldn't care less if one or more of them 'disappeared'!

 

If they don't already have (suitable) birds then maybe you should give him away with one girl (or even both of them, I know that will be hard for you but it might be kinder to the single hen, it all depends how 'demanding' he is) for company.

 

But then please don't keep one sebright on her own, chickens are flock animals. I don't keep them myself but given their dainty size I would have thought finding some other small bantams would be preferable to mixing her in with the hybrids.

 

HOWEVER - could you investigate a cockeral box for him (small box with ventilation so he can't lift his head to crow) or even bring him in at night (people put cockerals in boxes under the stairs, in the garage, wherever its dark and you can muffle the sound)?

[Olly]

Hello and welcome to the forum. What a shame, sadly most of us are not able to keep cockerels for exactly this reason.

 

The ladies will be fine on their own, and yes you could add to them later although it's probably easier to introduce two (or more) rather than just one new one. There's lots of advice on here about introductions!

 

You don't say if your farmer friend has any other hens. If he does, then Algy won't mind leaving the ladies, and I don't think he will pine - as soon as he finds some new lady friends he will be consoled, I'm sure! If however your friend doesn't have any hens, then I think Algy probably will need at least one of the ladies with him - he would be lonely on his own.

 

If you have to do that, then I would get another two lady bantams to keep the remaining hen happy, some people have successfully mixed hybrids and bantams but it is not always straightforward I believe. However I have no experience of this, someone else here will tell you if it's possible or not, I'm sure.

[Daphne]

oops - looks like Olly & I cross posted - luckily we said the same thing!

[Patricia W]

Hi - I do feel for you. As Daphne said, I have a trio who are utterly and completely bonded - he was ill and in solitary for a week and the girls stood by the run crooning to him most of the time!

 

I can't even introduce new ladies to him as he sees them ( so far) as threats to his ladies. I'm hoping the hormones will kick in when the newbies are laying so have not given up hope completely.

 

It might be worth talking to you neighbour and finding out if its the crowing per se that is the problem - or the time of the crowing. I have found that I can postpone the early morning crow for an hour or so by a) making sure he is full of corn before he goes to bed b) really blacking out the eglu/cube. I haven't tried a cockerel box but do have a dog crate as back up and would bring him inside if necessary.

 

If its the day time crow it's more difficult.

 

Luckily, my neighbours ( so far!!) tell me they like to hear him as it makes them feel they are in the deepest country ( and not deepest Abingdon!). Our immediate neighbour actually said they no longer hear him - they have become so used to him they just sleep through.

 

I do hope you solve it. I wouldn't give in just yet. If you do have to re-home him I think he'll be fine with new ladies - mine have been together for over a year so have had a long time to bond.

 

Tricia

[Redwing]

It might be worth selling a pair on - perhaps at auction where they should end up going to a pet or breeding home if you choose an auction that has a high amount of pet buyers - Salisbury is one, Melton Mobray is not!

 

You could try selling them privately too

 

You have much more chance of rehoming a pair than just the cockerel but forums like Practical Poultry, PoultryChat and Bluelaced have sections where you could offer him free to a good home, some breeders are keen to get fresh blood in (if yours is a good example)

 

You could send him to your farmer friend but if it was me I would want to ensure they have other bantams if possible and that he would be the only cockerel

 

good luck and sorry you cant keep him

[Egluntyne]

You could try rehoming him via the **Omlet Marketplace**

 

Unfortunately rehoming him via the forum is no longer an option.

 

Practical Poultry and River Cottage have 'livestock' listings. Might be worth trying there.

 

Any local petting zoos or visitor farms that might take him?

[Chicken Shirl]

Everything has been said really. I just wanted to say how sorry I am that your cockerel is having to leave you. I like the chat some more to the the lady next door option, you never know she may come round.

[Ark]

Thanks so much everybody - it is my first post and I am so amazed and humbled by all the help and solidarity out there! Will let you all know what happens. Haven't tracked down farmer friends this week as it's half term and we are all too busy. Algy is now coming in at night and going out at 10am but the neighbour seems to have really bad nerves and Algy will have to go on extended hols at least for the forseeable future. I am minded to get some more lady bantams and send Algy off with a mate.

 

many thanks to you all

[Chicken Shirl]

That would be so nice if you could. He would be much happier if he had a girl friend with him. I just had to part with two of my lovely cockerels it's not an easy thing to do. {Hugs}

[Jools]

Dare I suggest that you advertise the trio of Seabrights together, then replace them with whatever you want. They should sell easily enough to an enthusiast because they're lovely little birds.

 

If you keep just one Seabright and add one or two newbies, you're just asking for introduction/bullying problems. Starting again with a small group of newcomers might be the better option.

 

The other question is what other chickens does the farm have? Living at the farm might sound idyllic, but not if your little fella and his wife are getting hassle from the resident chickens.

[Patricia W]

I just hope your neighbour doesn't then transfer her anxieties to the " egg-announcements" and other noises that the girls make. It would be good to understand what it is about the noise that upsets her so much.

 

Tricia

[Tweety]

I agree with Jools that you should try to keep the trio together if possible. I have Seabrights too, and they are inseperable and do everything together, even though they mix quite happily with my larger girls. If I had to part with them for any reason, I would make sure that they went to a new home together. I also think that you would find it easier to find a new home for a trio rather than a cockerel on his own.

Good luck - I do hope you can find a happy home for them.

[Chicken Shirl]

I wish I could have them.