If you remember my post from last August, you’ll know that I snuck some hatching egg underneath my lone broody hen, Speckledy. She had three that hatched. Here they are, at a few days old…
Sadly, the little white chick died overnight at a week old – I think it must have got stuck underneath Speckledy who was trying her best to keep them safe and warm overnight, and suffocated. I cried buckets.
Happily, the other two chicks did well, and they are now grown up. The little brown one, as I suspected, is a cockerel – he was always very boisterous and quite rough with the little black chick who I guessed was a hen. She is. She has taken to laying her eggs in really unhelpful places, hidden in the brambles, but she is particularly striking with her black feathers that now shimmer green. I believe she is a Black Copper Maran.
The cockerel, Mr Crow, began crowing a couple of months ago and is really a handsome one. He’s a Welsummer, and for the most part he is pretty relaxed and easy-going, although I must admit that I am struggling with him a bit because he’s pulling Speckledy’s feathers out now that he’s into his morning mating routine.
I have added another hen to the flock, and I wonder if I should get two more so that Mr Crow’s attentions are better divided. Perhaps that would give Speckledy a chance to regrow her feathers. I’m not sure though, as I don’t fully understand why Speckledy is losing feathers and the other two aren’t. My preference would be to re-home him somewhere where he can be fully free-range with a larger flock, but it’s difficult to rehome cockerels. (If anyone is interested here in Cornwall, do let me know!!)
It’s the first time I’ve had a cockerel in the flock, and I actually wish I could let them fully free-range, as I think that would be better. The run is about the size of a tennis court, so they have a good amount of space, but I imagine that free-ranging would be better for the ladies to be able to avoid the cockerel. Still, there are foxes and badgers galore here and I don’t imagine they’d last more than a day free-ranging.
I feel very protective of Speckledy as she is coming up 10 years old and was among the first flock of chickens I had. I’ve always been very fond of her, and I’m finding it a little heartbreaking to see her looking worse for wear.
I did try separating him, but he just kept flying over the fence to get back to his flock. I’ll probably just see how they all get on over the next few weeks and then make a decision as to whether to get more hens.
All advice from experienced cockerel owners would be greatly received – I want to do the best by all of these creatures. I’m also not completely against the stock-pot penalty, as I do eat meat and I think it is important as a meat-eater to keep connected to where the food comes from rather than imagining that the meat I eat is ‘just food’. I think if I didn’t remember him as a chick, I’d be braver about that. It’s all a bit of a quandary and raises questions of ethics that are important to face I think.
For now though, it’s fun to enjoy the presence of these quirky souls and to see them all grown up and living their lives.