I had three hens. A few years ago, from goodness knows where, a beautiful cockerel moved in. My girls fell under his charms and last year one hen successfully raised two birds; one of each. A little after Roger (the lodger cockerel) moved in, another cockerel appeared in the orange groves around our house. Roger would square up to him through the chain link fence so he learned to keep his distance.
When the two babies grew, the cockerel started challenging Roger. Anyway a friend took him and he’s fine. The young lady however, took a shine to the cockerel in the groves and moved out. Amazingly, late last year I saw them with a new flock of their own. Without any help or interference, she managed to raise 9 babies.
she then decided she’d move back in and link up with Roger. of her babies followed her in, so my flock has gone from 3 to 19!
It’s chaos in my garden. They roost in the oddest places - on the coop roof, on the enclosure poles, in the compost bin and one in my raised flower bed, where she has been for the past week, sitting on an egg. As the bed is a couple of feet high, I don’t know how it will manage. Nearer the time, I’ll put some soft stuff on the floor to soften the inevitable landing.
The temperature here in Spain is now in the high 30’s so I’ve rigged an umbrella over her so she doesn’t cook.
in the near future I will have problems because two of the babies are cockerels. I know you will think I’m soft and stupid, but I can’t kill them so I will have to find new homes for them.
All this expansion without any human interference.
When the two babies grew, the cockerel started challenging Roger. Anyway a friend took him and he’s fine. The young lady however, took a shine to the cockerel in the groves and moved out. Amazingly, late last year I saw them with a new flock of their own. Without any help or interference, she managed to raise 9 babies.
she then decided she’d move back in and link up with Roger. of her babies followed her in, so my flock has gone from 3 to 19!
It’s chaos in my garden. They roost in the oddest places - on the coop roof, on the enclosure poles, in the compost bin and one in my raised flower bed, where she has been for the past week, sitting on an egg. As the bed is a couple of feet high, I don’t know how it will manage. Nearer the time, I’ll put some soft stuff on the floor to soften the inevitable landing.
The temperature here in Spain is now in the high 30’s so I’ve rigged an umbrella over her so she doesn’t cook.
in the near future I will have problems because two of the babies are cockerels. I know you will think I’m soft and stupid, but I can’t kill them so I will have to find new homes for them.
All this expansion without any human interference.
