Two cockerels is one too many!
Monday, February 25th, 2008Well, it was only a matter of time before our two cockerels decided that life together, sharing our lovely hens, was just a little too close for comfort. Primrose, our baby cockerel (how he got his name is answered elsewhere), is around five months old now and definitely in the throws of sexual maturity. His not-so-manly crowing still needs some serious working on! Unfortunately, Tiger, our older cockerel is having none of it and is making his feelings very clear. We have had to intervene to stop any serious fighting and poor Primrose has taken to flying out of the chicken run to escape from harms way.
We had been hopeful that both boys would see sense - they have a huge free-ranging area to live in together with seven hens to share. In fact, Primrose didn’t seem to take any interest in Tiger’s harem at all and stuck to entertaining our other two hens, Amber and Velvet, that were hatched out at the same time as Primrose.
As an interim measure, our old dog run has been transformed into a chicken house and Primrose the cockerel, Velvet and Amber our hens are now settling into their new accommodation. Unfortunately, the fencing around the run isn’t as high a challenge as we hoped and I seem to have spent most of the day rounding up chickens who really don’t seem to appreciate that we are trying to do our best for them!
In the end, the scissors had to be sharpened and Primrose, Tiger, Amber and Velvet have all had a lop-sided haircut and 
said goodbye to their flight feathers. Problem solved…
…I wish! Went to lock up the hen “houses” this evening and couldn’t locate Primrose in the dog run. My worse fear was that he had run away for good and so it was with slightly less anxiety that I was to find him perched back in the old hen house with the other chickens. Tiger, thankfully, was giving him a wide berth. Fortunately it was dusk, otherwise I think that he would have had Primrose for supper!!
Poor Primrose doesn’t know if he is coming or going (it’s not surprising with a name like that, I suppose!). I think that I might have to try trimming his other wing tomorrow and, ultimately, a new home may be the best option for our darling young cockerel in the long run. It really does appear that keeping two cockerels is indeed one too many!
Diane
Animal Lovers Web.com
