Locking Bar Eglu Classic

[Scotty]

We are thinking about keeping a cockerel - has any body got any experience in this?

 

questions we're throwing about are:

 

* Are all cockerels aggressive

* Will it encourage the girls to lay, when they go "off Laying"

* We realise that some eggs may well be fertilized but can we just eat the eggs as normal or do we need to do anything with them? ie put them in the fridge as soon as possible.

* We don't necessarily want to breed but feel there must be some positives outside of breeding.

 

Is there anything further we should consider?

 

Thanks Guys!

 

Scotty

[atsw]

Hi there, good questions!

 

* Are all cockerels aggressive - Yes, pretty much, their job is to defend their 'girls' and most take this task seriously.

 

* Will it encourage the girls to lay, when they go "off Laying". Generally, it makes no difference.

 

* We realise that some eggs may well be fertilized but can we just eat the eggs as normal or do we need to do anything with them? ie put them in the fridge as soon as possible. Most eggs will be fertile once the Cockerel has integrated into the flock. Fertile eggs are no different at the point they are laid, they don't taste different, they don't look different.

 

* We don't necessarily want to breed but feel there must be some positives outside of breeding. They are a great edition to the flock, hens like having a Cockerel around, they feel more secure. However, they can make a lot of noise and can be aggressive. Your main consideration should actually be any neighbours you have, they will hear him all the time (some really like the sound, but others really do not.)

 

I have a Pekin Bantam Cockerel and we love him to bits (as do his girls). Even though he's pint-sized, he does have his days, and my two youngest are a little hesitant to go too close to him when he's in a bad mood. Checkout the link in my signature for pictures of him and his flock.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Andrew

[Jools]

I've only had two cocks who were aggressive with me - one was my bantam Silkie cross who attacked my feet but soon backed off when I didn't and the other was a commercial meat bird who was delicious. All my others (OEG, Indian Game, RIR, Marans & Sussex) have been pussy cats with me, though they have defended their wives as you might expect.

 

I can't imagine being without a lad about the run whether I'm breeding or not. It's a joy to watch them look after their flock and they're often more colourful too. The downside has to be the noise though, so unless you don't have near (or deaf) neighbours, it's not really practical.

[muzzboy]

We are thinking about keeping a cockerel - has any body got any experience in this?

 

questions we're throwing about are:

 

* Are all cockerels aggressive

* Will it encourage the girls to lay, when they go "off Laying"

* We realise that some eggs may well be fertilized but can we just eat the eggs as normal or do we need to do anything with them? ie put them in the fridge as soon as possible.

* We don't necessarily want to breed but feel there must be some positives outside of breeding.

 

Is there anything further we should consider?

 

Thanks Guys!

 

Scotty

I got a silkie cockerel must say he does look after his girls as for being aggressive I ain't seen that side yet he is quite scared of me as he is the only one not to take food from my hand but does not wonder to far when I am with his girls he will also help with new intros to your flock if you intend to but the main issue I think is the noise ie 5.30 in the morning but I love him as much as the others.

[Daphne]

I agree with what Jools has said, they aren't all agressive; (mine is a complete and utter wuss), they make a flock complete, (you can't beat seeing hens poodling about with their cockeral standing guard and feeding them), if you breed you need to be very prepared for the excess boys (rehoming is difficult, so you need to face facts about culling) but by far the biggest issue is noise. If you have neighbours they are very likely to complain and there isn't much you can do about it. All cockerals crow, some/most crow very loudly and at inconsiderate times of the day as far as humans are concerned. People have a right to low levels of noise between certain hours and a 4.00am shouting match just isn't on in the summer particularly with open windows.

 

As far as laying is concerned, its not made a blind bit of difference to mine, although none of them has gone broody since they've had a man about the house (he only mates with hens in lay ). Fertile eggs are no different to unfertilised ones; we eat them all the time. The only thing is don't leave them in a very warm place.......they may start to develop

[Scotty]

A MASSIVE THANK YOU to all - this is a great help in our decision making. I guess a note through the neighbours door is possibly the best thing here with the promise of fresh eggs should they wish! - we live very near a farm so I hope they may be used to these noises or we could be cheeky and pass some of the noise off in their direction!

[migsy]

There is a cockeral at my children's school and it is within a built up area in Manchester. It is actually kept by the priest who lives next door to the school. I think he breeds chickens. I don't know what the neighbours think but I understand it irritates the teachers whose classrooms are next door to the chicken enclosure. I'd love one myself but think it would be unfair on my neighbours. If you live near a farm though, it seems more appropriate.

[Redwing]

My pekin cockerel is feisty but not too bad. The two I had before him were agressive (note the word 'had' )

 

My Wyandottes are all a great delight, lovely, calm and placid, they do panic sometimes if I pick one of the females up but they are not agressive

 

Last summer it wasnt unusual for one of the cockerels to start crowing at 3.30am and I have one that will crow in the night sometimes, cocks are a little calmer than cockerels from my experience, it takes another bird crowing to set my Tarzan off

[Scotty]

Is there a particular breed we should consider?

[migsy]

cocks are a little calmer than cockerels from my experience, it takes another bird crowing to set my Tarzan off

 

Sorry for being ignorant but what is the difference between a cock and a cockeral. I thought they were the same

[The Dogmother]

A male bird is called a cockerel until it's one year old, when it is known as a cock.

[WitchHazel]

We've had two cockerels.

 

One was an aggressive chap, pretty much from the beginning. The second was from one of our own hatches, and he is a lovely lad. He did go a bit doo-lally at the start of this breeding season, attacking us for no reason at all, but he calmed down after a few weeks and now is back to his polity and lovely self.

[scarlettohara]

My pekin cockerel (originally from Griffin) is the sweetest little chap every, if I or my sons pick him up he immediately snuggles down for a sleep He looks after his 2 wives beautifully - calls them over if he finds something nice to eat and runs to their defence if he thinks they are in trouble. Wouldn't be without him - he is handled every day and is as good as gold

[Cinnamon]

Whilst mine is the very beast from hell,who will not allow me into the hen pen,has caused deep scratches to my shins through my jeans & is generally spoiling the enjoyment of keeping hens for me.

Sorry if I sound annoyed,but he just tried to kill me again & it makes me cross & upset.

[migsy]

A male bird is called a cockerel until it's one year old, when it is known as a cock.

 

Thanks Claret. I never knew that!

[Redwing]

If you have large fowl then a heavy breed bantam is probably the best bet

 

Orpington, Sussex, Wyandotte or Rhode Island Red are options

 

Welsummer and Araucana bantams are pretty nice too officially classed as light breeds but decent sized cockerels

 

You'll always get exceptions to the rules some people have docile small light breeds or true bantams and others will have quiet gentle giants such as Cochins and Brahmas, then you get the kamakazi ones like Cinnamon's lad

 

At the end of the day there are so many unwanted cockerels in this world take your time to get the right one, dont fall for sob stories and dont waste time on nasty ones!

[Chortle Chook]

I'm in love with my little Silkie cockerel, Dill . He is a real sweetie. So considerate and nice to his hens, finding all the best bits for them. He also makes me laugh especially the way he stamps is diminutive feet first thing in the morning when I let my chooks out and he can't get to his girls as they have a neat trick of runing under the hen house where there isn't room for him to get on top of them.

 

As for the noise, I'd say it is not as loud as my hens bock bocking call especially when they do it all at once. His crow does not wake me or my neighbours up but we all have to agree that if we should wake very early then his crow does keep us awake. What I have found is that whereas women don't seem to mind it too much it tends to aggravate men more. Perhaps it is something to do with the pitch or perhaps women are programmed not to mind being woken up by small things in the early hours.

 

Despite this I have found that adding a cockerel suddenly makes OHs of the male variety interested in chooks. It worked with my OH and I know it has had that effect with some others.

[The Dogmother]

Whilst mine is the very beast from hell,who will not allow me into the hen pen,has caused deep scratches to my shins through my jeans & is generally spoiling the enjoyment of keeping hens for me.

Sorry if I sound annoyed,but he just tried to kill me again & it makes me cross & upset.

 

want to borrow my hatchet?

 

Lesley used to have a vicious cock who would attack anyone who went in the pen - he tried it on with me once. He was replaced by his son... a nice tidy sort of revenge

[kissinuk]

If I had a house in the middle of nowhere I'd love to have one. However as a veggie, the fertilised egg situation would be a bit of a grey area...