How to catch a cockerel

[YardBirdCountry]

I wish I could get my hands on some free cockerels. I would feed them up and process. I also my select a special fine special gentleman to take care of my ladies.

 

[dazz02]

where are you from yardbirdcountry. If you were close to me you could have some for free. I'm in the uk.

 

[YardBirdCountry]

Appreciate the thought but I'm in the South Eastern US.

 

[buttercup95]

You will need a flash light so that you can see what your doing, but also so that you can blind or dazzle the rooster with the light. You also need a tow-sack or some other contraption to carry your new fowls in, and for a first time chicken catcher a helper is not a bad idea. If these bad boys are 10 -12 feet off the ground then you will also need an 8 - 10 foot long 1 inch by 6 inch or similar board.

When the rooster of you dreams is on the roost, it is dark, and things are quite, shine the light on the cockerel you want. Next ease the top edge (end) of your board gently into his breast area, just in front of his feet were he is gripping his roost perch and then slowly and gently push up and back just a dab. The bird will respond by stepping onto what he thinks is a new roost pole to keep his perch. when he is on the end of your board gently lower him hand over hand fashion low enough so that you or your helper can gently grab him. Repeat ad nauseam.

Oh I almost forgot, this also works for pullets and hens.

Hahaha a torch is a flash light!

 

[RedJungleFowl]

nice idea redjunglefowl, that sounds good to me. Perhaps if i put my hen in a cage i could get the cockerel to just walk straight in to it. I somehow don't think it would be so easy. I'll give it a try it sounds like the best idea to me. chickengeorgeto i wouldn't be able to fit such a large board in to my car and i've tried dazzling them with a light however they just run off so i don't think that would suitable.

Well try anything that works for u cockerel are really hard to catch cause when u chase them they always fly a few feet then run then fly i know this cause i use to own a brown leghorn and every time. When i go catch it it would take like at least 10 minutes for me to even get close enough to my experience i think using a net scares them more. right,

 

[dazz02]

yer i don't think a net does much good. I managed to catch him. YES! I took a lot of lights and let it go dark, i then climbed the tree and grabbed him, i then somehow managed to climb down the tree with him. I also ended up with a white hen, possibly a white star although it looks a bit too big and 2 other little birds which i don't know what they i have opened a new thread asking if anyone knows what they are. The link is below

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/811764/unknown-breeds

They are cute little things and really cherpy, i thought i should take them as the cockerels were chasing them around. Any help to what they are and their sex would be great.

 

[RedJungleFowl]

while trying to catch my flight brown leghorn i though of using a net and it only made things worst now it flys even farther and runs even faster then it flew up in the tree maybe and since u mention they were fighting cocks i think they could fly very well so maybe they net won't help as much maybe u could try putting feed into the hen cool with a hen in there but like have a little part that blocks the hen form getting attack from the rooster or u could just trying feeds then use the net IF your fast enough at swing to catch it but it not them i wouldn't use the net..

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Where can he run, or where can he hide when he is on the roost?
Chickens are quite blind and helpless after dark as long as their feet are off the ground.
I have literally caught 1,000s of young free range roosters, hens and pullets out of trees, tall barns, and high shrubbery in this way. Even a 6 foot long board is long enough if he is not roosting over 10 or 12 feet off the ground, and you are at least 6 feet tall counting your out stretched arms.

Once you let him reach the ground the whole affair deteriorates into a Keystone Cop's foot race. Be slow, be careful, and be gentle and he is yours. Once he steps on the end of the board, turn off your light so that he is once again flummoxed. Make the light and the darkness both work in your favor.

I use to have a modified telescoping electric lineman's bang pole or stick. These fiberglass poles are used to reset jump breakers from ground level or to break the circuit on 28 foot tall power polls so that the linemen can work on the wires. That pole was modified to extend to almost 40 feet. I have caught chickens from 30 feet or higher with this pole using the same technique I outlined in my previous post..

 

[dazz02]

I agree that the ideal of using a board could be a good idea however not in my case. The trees where they were roosting all had a lot of branched so it would have been difficult to get the board up amongst them and then when i moved the board down with him on the end he would have been stepping off at every branch that we passed or been knocked off by the branched he hit as i lowered him and the board down.

I managed to catch him by grabbing his leg and somehow pulled him through the branches towards me without too much difficulty. Once i had him i climbed down the tree, one handed, and then bagged him for the journey home.

I quite enjoy cockerel hunting, i am just unsure of whether that is a good thing!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Hahaha a torch is a flash light!

What's up mate? Where I'm from a torch is used to cut, weld or braise metal...

.... and a flash light is used by a constable to either ascertain your level of sobriety or when applied to your head to adjust your attitude.