A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (53 page)

Surplus cockerels can also be grown into table birds but hatch a suitable breed to produce the best results. Light laying types will never turn into full-breasted roasting birds, no matter how much feed they eat. Take into account that traditional chickens take several months to reach a respectable weight, rather than the six weeks allotted to commercial meat birds.

Keep the young cockerels separately so they don’t bother the hens. If they squabble, the introduction of an adult male will often restore calm.

There are many regulations involved in selling meat birds but you can prepare and eat your own.

The practical skills required are better learnt from an experienced person than a book. Chickens should be despatched cleanly and confidently – the usual method at home is neck dislocation. There are various gadgets which are supposed to make the process easier but there have been horror stories about them not working properly.

You can attend courses that will take you through the entire process from despatching to trussing. Alternatively, an experienced poultry keeper (or gamekeeper) could show you what to do. It takes a while to pluck a chicken, although it becomes quicker with practice. The bird should then be hung for a few days (depending on the weather) before being eviscerated. This needn’t be a messy job but having learnt with a knife in one hand and a book in the other, I can really recommend having a practical lesson first.

A free-range cockerel that you have raised and prepared yourself is a very special meal. Don’t expect the meat to be white and bland – it may be dark, rich and even a little gamey. There could also be a slight tendency to dryness so baste it with butter or olive oil. Pot roasting works particularly well.

From egg to table takes time and patience – but will result in a taste of a bygone luxury.

Key Points

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All cockerels crow and even rural neighbours may complain

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Not letting cockerels out too early helps reduce morning disturbance

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Cockerels crow throughout the day and sometimes at night

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The Environmental Health Department must investigate every complaint

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Some cockerels are aggressive towards people and can cause injury

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A cockerel’s temperament may change with maturity

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There are few advantages to keeping a cockerel and it’s usually better to start with just hens

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Hatching eggs will result in several males

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Sometimes it’s difficult to identify the cockerels until they start crowing

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Cockerels often fight each other

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Re-homing cockerels is difficult – be careful they go to good homes

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Choose a suitable breed if intending to produce table birds

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Despatching and preparation of table birds should be learnt from an experienced person

I’m on look-out duty!

What have you found out about cockerels from
Chapter 12
?

Question One

How noisy are cockerels?

(a) They crow at any time of the day or night

(b) They only crow in the morning

(c) Not all cockerels crow

Question Two

What wouldn’t you expect a cockerel to do?

(a) Encourage the hens to lay more eggs

(b) Fertilize the eggs

(c) Look after the hens

Question Three

Which of these statements is wrong?

(a) A cockerel may become more aggressive as he gets older

(b) Keeping more than one cockerel is likely to result in fights

(c) Cockerels never attack humans

Question Four

If you hatch some chicks, what are you likely to get?

(a) Only females

(b) Mainly females

(c) More males than females

Question Five

If you have hatched some spare cockerels, which statement is likely to be true?

(a) It will be easy to sell them to other chicken keepers

(b) It will be difficult to find suitable homes for them

(c) It’s a good idea to keep them with the rest of the flock

Answers

One (a); Two (a); Three (c); Four (c); Five (b)

How did you cock-a-doodle-do in the cockerel quiz? If you got them all right, you’ll have something to crow about!

‘Having something to crow about’: When a cockerel is feeling pleased with himself, he crows to tell the world how clever he is. This saying is used when someone has reason to be proud of an achievement. For example: ‘Oliver was hopeless at football but he trained really hard and now he’s scored the winning goal – he certainly has something to crow about!’

Why did the cockerel cross the road?

He wanted to impress the chicks!

If a cockerel laid an egg on top of the henhouse, which way would it roll?

Cockerels don’t lay eggs!

You know that cockerels can make a lot of noise – but hens aren’t silent either. Have you noticed how many different sounds your hens make? Do you know if they are telling each other about food, or danger, or that an egg has been laid? Listen carefully and see if you can work out their special language.

Can you copy their noises? If you can make the ‘I’ve found food’ sound, they will come running whenever you call!

Hatching eggs and rearing chicks takes some skill and experience – but if you have a broody hen she’ll show you how it’s done!

Recognizing a Broody Hen