[nic99]

Some lovely considerate person has dumped a cockerel on me. I am pretty sure he is a Pekin, and very pretty, but not a problem I want to have to deal with! I was cleaning out the chicken shed, went away to get some straw, and came back a few minutes later to an extra ball of fluff. Quite a suprise I assure you! The dumpee must have been watching me from the footpath alongside the field, waiting for me to leave so he/she could dump it. He wasn't even left in a box or anything, just thrown over the fence loose with my chickens! I only have 5 so it's not like I wouldn't have noticed    I cannot keep him, I already have a cockerel, and he is small enough to fit through the wire in my fencing (as we discovered several times whilst trying to catch him!). So what on earth do I do with it? He is currentlly in a carry case in my shed. Anybody in Fife want a pekin cockerel? Grrrrrr I am so cross!

[Womble]

That was considerate of them, wasn't it?  I know what I'd do with him, but if he's titchy, it hardly seems worth the bother unfortunately  .

[little blue]

poor little chap!
Pekins are quite popular, you might get him a "fancy" home by advertising him, might even get a fiver for him!
try gumtree, preloved, or your local paper

(personally, I'd put on the advert "dumped and can't live with my cockerel" just in case you can shame whoever left him!)

[chrismahon]

We had a lovely Pekin dumped on us two years ago. Thrown from a pasing car down our drive. In really good health so well looked after, but just at the crowing stage. We managed to rehome him, which was easy as he was such good stock.

Now earlier this week someone dumped 4 cockerels in a neighbour's newly aquired wilderness. Two Pekins and two Wellsummer crosses I think. No food, no water, no shelter. Took 2 hours to catch them and one has been despatched -nasty little thing. So we will give them some life and they they will have to go the same way as we have no space for them. Very difficult to rehome cockerels anyway, but these have no use for breeding.

[robate55]

We had 4 dumped a few years ago, over 3-4 weeks.  The first 2 my OH found dead & 1 we could not catch. The other we still have. I wish the dumpers would try living in the wild & getting killed. Why can't they take reponsibilty & dispatch them humanely.
Rse

[colliewoman]

aw shame he is in scotland, i'd have him in a heartbeat

[Dizzycow]

With all my over-cockereled problems I never considered dumping them. Next time I'm passing Big Chicken's pad I might dump them there, bet he wouldn't even notice! (Bet he doesn't read this either...!) 

[Victorian Farmer]

Iff i have eney i take them 2 the sales and put them out free i have a blue aracarna goin very nice stock woomed and vacinated

[CameronS]

Some people!! and at a place like yours it's hardly an easy thing to do - must have been planned.

one of my neighbours mentioned wanting one a while back, i shall ask him tomorrow morning if he still is interested and let you know!

[Rosemary]

A load were dumped at the livery stables where I used to keep Smokey. Some of the horse owners fed them but the fox got them all in the end. To be fair they had a nice life and probably longer than they would have had in other circumstances.

I suspect with more interest in keeping chooks, the incidence of this will rise.

[nic99]

Sadly, we had to send him to chicken heaven. I feel really guilty about it, but there was just no way I could have kept him without building a new enclosure for him (which I thought was a bit extreme). And with all the surplus cockerels around had very little hopes of finding him a new home. Especially as he was not a recognised colouring/pattern and had a nasty case of scaly leg mite. If he had been a large fowl type I probaly would have kept him to fatten up alongside any cockerels I hatch this year and given him a bit more of a life, but he was super teeny tiny, and even that was just all feathers! I doubt that he will be the only one we get as well and just cannot become a cockerel rehoming sanctuary.

[colliewoman]

Only sensible thing to do, especially if not 100% healthy

[sheardale]

What a shame.  I have had a cockerel dumped here.  He just fitted in with the rest.  Hope someone takes him.