Chesney: 16.04.12 – 16.09.12

Sadly another fox got in, and I lost my beloved, hand-reared cockerel, Chesney. Although I was away at the time, it’s another lesson learned.

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First Crows

Just to prove once and for all that Chesney is in fact a cockerel, he’s begun letting everyone know, early each morning. Not sure the crowing is quite assertive enough to stamp his masculinity over the flock yet, but his efforts are nonetheless congratulated. Although for how long I’m not too sure..

You can hear his progress here: Chesney Crowing

 

A Friend For a Lonesome Cockerel

A couple of days ago I headed up to Suffolk to collect two new Buff Orpington hens to add to the brood (and to replace our sadly fox-eaten hen). They were bought from ‘Henhouse’ (www.hen-house.co.uk), a great family-run supplier of free-reared chickens. The place itself was amazing to visit, with breeds of all kinds mixed together, free to roam the extensive grounds of the property. While there, I couldn’t resist bringing back a friend for my now come-of-age and lonely Thuringian cockerel. It’s been tricky trying to incorporate him into the henhouse along with the other two, as they’d peck him relentlessly, and so particularly because of him being so small. As his mum was the chicken lost to the fox he’s had a bit of a sad and lonesome life so far.

So I found a suitable friend for him in the form of a ‘Silver-Laced Wyandotte’, a similarly coloured but smaller breed, and put all six of the chickens in together. Naturally he fell in love immediately, and hopefully this new found masculinity will put him on the road to top of the pecking order. Once he’s learned how to assert himself over the four enormous Orpingtons..