newcountrygirl Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I am gutted. It's not been a good week. Last weekend my lovely cockerel Percy Proudfoot went downhill very quickly in just 1 day and had to be put to sleep. I have had him for 3 years and he was a beautiful Pekin. When he crowed he couldnt do a full cock-a-doodle do - he just did cock-a-doodle, and he wasnt very loud. So this week I thought I would get another husband for my girls who are bantams. A kind lady locally offered me a bantam Rhode Island Red boy and brought him to us on Monday. From the minute he got here he crowed like mad and really loudly. On Tuesday morning he started at 4am. At 7.30 am the neighbour came round and rang the doorbell and complained about the noise, and said her husband wanted to come round and slit the cockerels throat.. Now bear in mind we live in a small village in a very rural location and there are lots of people who have chickens and cockerels, this really upset me. That evening we tried to work out a different location for the run - we have 3 acres but some of it is a Certified Location for caravans so it couldnt go up there and also I wanted the run near my house so I can let the chickens out and let them freerange. Because most of the space would have been still on the side where her garden is we didnt have a lot of choice as to where the run could go. The run is very heavy and takes 6 people to move it. I had to make the decision to let the cockerel go to another home as if we moved it and she still complained it would have been for nothing. Bloody townies - why cant they just go back to where they came from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 No-one likes being woken up at 4.00am Newcountrygirl, especially if you have to do a days work afterwards, so I think you have done the right thing and re-homed him. It's very difficult to find a quiet cockerel. We had a huge Buff Orpington who crowed in such a high pitch I struggled to hear him at all. If you are going to find another boy it is going to be a process of trial and error I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlina Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 aww, that's a shame I live in a very rural area too - that used to be all about country folk with country noises (and smells!) and has become gentrified/townified over the years - and where I'm sure cockerels would no longer be welcome I do rather think it would be great if we could choose our neighbours - so all the folk who want to play death metal until 4am could live together. the folk with squealing kids could live in another zone and those of us who have/like animal noises could be together somewhere else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcountrygirl Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 The neighbours dont work. The people who owned our house before us had a male donkey who apparently used to bray very loudly night and day and the people before them ran a pheasantry so there would have been lots of noise. Interestingly the neighbour whose property literally backs onto theirs are renovating an old cottage and there are deliveries of materials and lots of hammering and drilling night and day but that doesnt seem to bother them either. They told me they could hear the cockerel but liked the sound as they are true country folk. I shall get another cockerel at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Hope it all works out for you Newcountrygirl. It is a real shame if you can't keep a cockerel in the country: so where else can you keep one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcountrygirl Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Thanks Beantree. I know - it is mad. I shall bide my time - then get another one. If they dont like it they can move - I should have stuck to my guns and kept him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
