[Country Bill]

my kids want to get a welsummer cock,are they good natured as i dont want anything too flighty.they already have a mix of hens, b/rocks, specks  and warrens.    Thanks Bill.

[muntjac]

they are sometimes bossy , but get a young one and then it will come on ok . i love em   .the welsuumer will throw some strange mixes if you breed the hens with him .but the cockerals will eat and the hens will lay  

[SMIFFY]

To be honest I don't know a lot about keeping cocks. However my father in law has had quite a few, 1 of which was a welsummer, and he got very protective over "his" girls. Every time my father in law wanted to check the hens for mites etc and picked one up, he was subjected to "Jacko" showing his great displeasure in this.
I don't know if this is the "norm" but thats my experience.....
Good Luck

[muntjac]

the cocks doing what comes natural but care should be taken when dealing witht them ,despurring the cockerel helps prevent any damage to yourself and the hens .its a simple process and totally pain free ,training a cock to back off starts at an early age  , making yourself bigger worked in my flocks, any cockerel that got stroppy was quickly dealt with iether by throwing water over it or by using a crush board used by pig breeders to control pigs by blocking the pigs sight , a 2ft x 2ft piece of ply will do with a handle hole cut in it .. really aggresive cockerals have only one place to go and thats " casserole " incidently i had a rather large turkey stag would attack anybody else including dogs cows etc .but it would sit on my lap while i stroked its head and wattles    

[Country Bill]

would he do better in the hen pen or would he be better to free range with the couple of warrens that roam about.

[muntjac]

which ever you choose but id always free range birds if possible ,

[Country Bill]

Thank you ,what sort of price should i pay.

[muntjac]

its like buying a new puppy firstly dont just pay n go .. you want this years birds not some old rooster thats been looking for its pension book ,take some time to look around the place  look at the set up and the birds themselves .do they look content and feeding or are they layed with thier heads low ,do they look healthy ... is there adequate water containers about , dont just take the first bird offered ,ask how many he has on offer , look the bird over well ,check under its wings is it full of mites n ticks .are its legs clean no scales bursting up from the leg.clear eyes and no snotty nose ,feel the wieght of the bird is it heavy or very light ,feel the keel bone for a cockerel it should have good meat on there . are its feathers clean around its butt , satisfied pay the man and ask for a gaurantee that you will get a new bird or a refund  within 21 days if this one dies or comes down with illness .. you will of course keep the cockerel away from your own birds for this time ... so tell him so .... yes  say thanks shake his hand . no ....... cya mate  

 oh and always ,,,,,, ALWAYS WALK AWAY FROM A  SELLER WHO WONT LET YOU SE HIS / HER  BIRDS

[Country Bill]

cheers, i will let you know how i get on.

[muntjac]

£10 for a good bird bill  

[slowef]

I have a wellie cockerel and a Buff Orpington cockerel they are both daft as a brush, as Munty says get them young and they are great

[Foxy]

This is one ofmy lovely and very friendly  Salmon Favorelle cockerels - he is only about 5mths and very tame  cant recommend this breed enough- he is quite nosy as you can tell   !!

[Selkie]

i   l-o-v-e  the  photo!!!

[Foxy]

Thank you!!
His name is Bigfoot and I think he is very much shows what a healthy happy bird should look like - I think you can really see his personalty in the photo. I have raised him from an egg -you can see him as a chick in one of my earlier posts!

[MontyTom]

bill, did you source a cockerel?  I have some beautiful welsummers - parents are beautiful (no joke), they are about 2 months old, off heat, and yoy are welcome to one or two (3 or 4) cockerels if you like.  pm me if you are interested - no money required.  not too far away