[Kitchen Cottage]

My ex battery hens have had a happy summer. They have eaten well, grubbed, nested in straw, ridden on the backs of pigs and sheep, flown gracelessly and with much commotion onto the top of the stables and perched proudly for hours, chased cats, been chased by visiting dogs, bathed interminably in dust to get rid of mites, eaten windfalls (and all the strawberries!) and generally had a good time being chickens.

In one way though I felt they were lacking.... they had no mate. Battery hens are fragile creatures, bred to use all energy, up to and including the energy needed for life itself, to lay eggs, they are thin and wasted creatures. Because of this, whilst I wanted them to know some man love, I didn't want a large strutting cock of a beast to tread them to death... the foreplay of a cock is not gentle, he jumps what he wants and uses his size to press, literally, his point.

I hit on a cunning plan, to take account of my hens puny structure, I would get a fancy cock, small but stunning in his plumage, who would flatter and overpower their weak will without causing them harm. This plan was helped by me seeing an advert for a free fancy cock on facebook... and thus I acquired Simon, a proud, but diminutive fancy cock, full of fluffed grey plumes and a captivating swagger.... and no more than 4 inches tall.

I duly introduced him to the girls, who stand a lanky but weak 8 inches. Herein lay the problem. Despite his masterful stance, powerful call and desperate lack of standards (being willing to mount the most henpecked and raggedy of the girls), none of them will let him near them.... Obviously I am satisfied with cocks that are too small and, in every hen party, .... size matters. So Simon is cruel pecked as he tries to mount each hen, rejected as he runs and jumps on their backs and reduced to trying to take them unawares when they grub for food (a sexual satisfaction technique not outlawed in the animal kingdom...)

The girls remain unfertilised, Simon remains unsatisfied and all because they just can't see past his size to the huge cock he really is...

Poor Simon... . Size matters to females.

[bloomer]

 


poor simon

[taz08]

 
i got a bantie cockerel like this,, i got him a few bantie hens ,, he still tries it on with the lf hens ,, outa luck there lol

[Eve]

I think Simon needs some lovely but vertically challenged girls of his own   

[chrismahon]

Our replacement Wyandotte cockerel was rejected by the hens as he was only 2/3 of his predecessor. After his initial enthusiasm he began behaving like a hen. Moving about with them and following the top hen. So we separated him until he regained his cockerel behaviour. Then introduced the hens to him one at a time starting with the lowest in the pecking order. He established himself with each new hen over a few days. When we introduced the original top hen she was joining what appeared to be an established flock with a cockerel and she submitted immediately. 2 years on and the flock remains stable with Merlin firmly in charge and less stressed out than he was initially.

[MAK]

  maybe you could have used cm instead of inches and the word coq - maybe I would not have laughed so much.
I got given 3 coqs and all had "drumsticks of 9 inches " Massive beasts !!!

[Ina]

Maybe some CBT would help... (Is there a psychiatric service for poultry? )