[plumseverywhere]

my 7 year old Eloise has been asking for a cockeral since her last birthday (April) but I've been undecided.
we have 13 hens (since foxy came 2 days ago grrr) - would a cockeral help to keep the hens the right side of the electric fence (at the moment they keep getting out despite efforts to trim 1 sided flight feathers)
would he be a deterrant at all for the fox?
can I sell eggs at the gate if the hens have run with a cockeral?
any particular breeds of cockeral that are more even tempered (considering we have children?)

thanks in advance!

[northfifeduckling]

There might be an issue with officially selling fertile eggs. I quite like to hear what others say on here...
We personally found the boys a pleasure to have around. They look after the girls, show them food, are supposedly splitting up fighting girls  . Thank goodness my neighbour doesn't mind the noise early in the morning! I think a cockerel keeps the girls well in the boundaries, but I am not so sure if he does not attract foxes rather than deters them - very vocal! He will not make your girls look pretty - once they are with a boy there is no way they will win a beauty contest  . I think it depends a bit how used they are to handling and human company if they are vicious or not. We never had a problem but will still be careful around him in main mating season. We have (I think) a very bog standard Lohman or Isa Brown rather than what my OH thinks we have http://north-fife.blogspot.com/2010/03/black-orpingtons-cockerel.html
Forgot one obvious benefit - you will most certainly get chicks fairly soon!  (P.S. by agressive OH means with each other)

[CameronS]

Would it be possiable to make a separate pen, and have something like a trio of bantams or something?? that way your egg hens are separate, you can breed pure breds, bantams take less space, and are smaller for pets

[Rosemary]

We've had a cockerel with the hens for ages. Not the same one though. Currently it's Hector but there has been Henry (he had 6 wives), Hobbes, Horatio, Hugo and not Hector. None of ours have particularly messed up the hens, current one's not that noisy. They do sort out any battles - we introduced new pullets recently and when one of the "old guard" went to have a go, Hector was right there breaking it up.

I like having a cockerel - he's handsome and looks after his girls, and most have been real characters.

[northfifeduckling]

maybe it's that our current boy is younger than his mums and he is a bit intimidated when they fight  He seems to have had a favourite who was utterly bald for most of the summer. She has now regrown her feathers, just in time for the freeze.
I agree with Rosemary, a cockerel is really handsome, the breed might not make much difference. A credit to their gender! (unlike drakes which are only pretty but a bit useless!)

[plumseverywhere]

I'm liking the sound of the pro's here and there's not many cons!  one of my bluebelle's thinks she's a boy and is mounting a rhode rock and also pecking at her neck which I assume is a dominance thing. and one of the white stars jumps the fence into the danger zone., so if a boy could sort even these 2 grievances out it could be a good thing.
just the potential noise issue I guess    neighbours are quite close but if I could guarantee a daft crower like our old neighbours had (4pm) then it would be fine!

[northfifeduckling]

I was up early today and he had a go at noisemaking at 5.30  no light anywhere at the horizon   

[Helencus]

Mine start crowing around 45 mins before light and last for about 1 hr. They also crow during the day it's not limited to daybreak. There's no getting away from it cockerels are noisy (99% anyway). If you have close neighbours I'd gauge their reaction first or like me you'll have to get rid to keep the peace. My neighbours haven't complained directly to me just to others but if you only have 1 it may not be too bad, they do crow at each other you see.
On the plus side mine are not aggressive with me and the do look after their ladies. You have to keep them apart from each other though as they will fight if they can get at each other.

[northfifeduckling]

I was lucky - when our little pet chickens  grew up my neighbour told me first that I had cockerels as they were crowing closer to her bedroom window than mine...She said she loved the sound as she grew up on a farm ,phew...It is important to ask them if they mind, you don't want bad blood with your neighbours. Some councils do not allow keeping boys.  

[plumseverywhere]

We decided to go ahead and have a cockerel!  As its going to be Eloise's bird she has asked the neighbours - they were all really pleased with the idea of 'country noises' and the fact that a 7 year old was so keen on having a chicken for xmas rather than an expensive computer game so today took her to choose one.
She's opted for a black cochin, and I have to say he really is beautiful!! Santa is going to deliver him (ie. I put him in the coop xmas eve at chooks bedtime when kids not looking) so fingers crossed...!

[katie]

Drat! I was going to suggest one of my lovely Maran boys.It'll be the pot for him, sadly!
Cochins are lovely birds, though. I had a couple of black Cochin hens once ...until a fox came along.

[plumseverywhere]

oh no!! Katie I wish I'd known!! there is a lady in cleeve who's cockerel went 'missing' last week, she might want another? shall I ask?

[katie]

Please do! I've a choice of two!

[plumseverywhere]

I'll see her at school monday so will ask, she's ever so nice so it would be a lovely home. she had a bantam but he went walkabouts, have told her to get a padlock on her coop 

[katie]

and a German Shepherd!
I also have a pair of black Pekin bantams if she's looking for more banties.