[Fluff]

allotment sorted. water butt supplied. coop undergoing minor repairs and weatherproofing. Just two questions is there a good time to get hens. was thinking after hols at easter although not a problem as doing lottie with friend so that we can share chicken feeding etc.  Other thing is one of my neighbours has offered me a cockerell. read somewhere that you can then not eat eggs as chance of fertilised .put this to neighbour an he said not will encourage hens to lay.  Was just going to rescue some battery hens and take it from there. will cockerell bring more cons than pro s.  :?

[muntjac]

the friend must be on magic mushrooms me thinks i have got ( counted for new regs from defra ) 186 hens and 13  cockerals  and im now getting over a 100 eggs a day , whether an egg is fertilised or not is immaterial ,  rescue hens will not have seen a cockerel and it may really stress them out until he is settled down ,, he wil tread the hens incessantly for a few days .fear not about having him ,if you have any problems its his crowing that causing complaints i wouldnt introduce a cockerel until you have the hens firmly established and then only if you want to breed the birds even then it would be a very young bird hope this helps , as for getting your birds .point of lays are on sale in some places  now ( norwich road today ) so you can think about that or contact one of the many keepers in your area

[richyrich7]

To be honest battery hens have the "broodyness" bred out of them so even if they are fertile and you want chicks they probably won't sit.  If you don't want chicks don't get a cock, follow the advice of muntjac if you want one and give them poor xbatts a chance.  From what I have seen and heard most xbatts can't even walk for a start!
I bought my 3 hybrids for £3.50 each and have had  3 eggs almost every day for just over a year.

[Aunt Sally]

All good advice above Fluff

I have two hens (no cock) and they have laid over 600 eggs this year  

[sorrel]

Hi fluff,

I wouldnt get a cockerel, as your exbat hens wont know what one is! and will already be quite stressed and take a few weeks to settle in to their new life and home.

I have 17 chickens (who all happily lay eggs of various amounts, depending on the breed) and no cockerel and when I want chicks to raise for friends or to replace/ add to our chickens I hatch them in an incubator (which is great fun), I would prefer a cockerel but  the neighbours wouldnt cope with the noise.

[Foxy]

Hi!
I have a bantam cockerel (I felt sorry for him!) and 8 hens who are used to cockerels -and he does help keep the peace as well as being a great character-however, although mine is very friendly to me(he gets excited to see me and will pick up worms etc for me!) I have heard that some can be quite vicious- and will attack their keepers  as they are territorial-that may be breed specific? Muntjac will know -he knows everything!!!

[muntjac]

if he is bringing you worms ,,,,, your his little chickadee foxy   , watch he doesnt start trying to jump up you and tread your legs  :oops: it will be blooming painful if he sticks his spurs into you , i ended up eating a cockerel that did that to me , ( yeh it happens in the bird world as well) use a water pistol to stop him coming at you , super soakers are great for that  

[Foxy]

ha ha!
I have read somewhere that if you have a problem cockerel -cluck madly while jumping sideways at him-he then is supposed to think you're a big scary cockereL  -Muntjac did you try that first before eating him?

[muntjac]

sorry but when males start to come on to me they get put away lolo