The Poultry Keeper The Independent Forum for Poultry Keepers    FAQ   Search     Register   Log in  Unwanted cockerels Goto page Previous  1, 2          The Poultry Keeper Forum Index -> General & Misc Author Message Lisa Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 3237 Location: Milton Keynes, Bucks Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 6:07 pm    Post subject: Henwife wrote: You can bury pets in the garden. Unless you keep them commercially, hens are pets. Say no more, and don't ask. I agree wholeheartedly with the first and third sentence!! Though I'm not sure the law actually makes any distinction between livestock and pets IMHO this is probably because when they wrote the law (like the one about not feeding any meat to chooks) they just wanted to make sure they had the power to control those that were doing "wrong" and/or trying to hide stuff, and they didn't have the time / couldn't be ar*ed / didn't care less about anyone else (ie us!) So technically that would still make it illegal to bury your pet chook in your garden, but a lot of people do and I don't see the "dead chicken police" digging up everyones gardens to check what is buried there! Grrr.... (at the government / DEFRA) Back to top Henwife Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3455 Location: Monmouthshire Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 7:40 pm    Post subject: Well, according to defra, my chicken are pets - and finally, my guinea fowl are a wild flock! Back to top HelenP Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 144 Location: GLOUCESTERSHIRE Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 7:52 pm    Post subject: Phew - not that mine have gone that way yet but I was beginning to wonder what I was supposed to do with them!! Back to top Lisa Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 3237 Location: Milton Keynes, Bucks Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 8:05 pm    Post subject: Henwife wrote: Well, according to defra, my chicken are pets - and finally, my guinea fowl are a wild flock! Genuinely interested - how come? Did you ring them? Or do you have a link that says so? Its just some people in the past have been quite adamant that livestock is livestock - no difference. Would love confirmation otherwise Back to top Lisa Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 3237 Location: Milton Keynes, Bucks Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 8:08 pm    Post subject: HelenP wrote: Phew - not that mine have gone that way yet but I was beginning to wonder what I was supposed to do with them!! The ones I've lost so far have all been put to sleep at the vets, and the vets have kept them for general incineration In the future, when I can breed, I'm thinking human food or dog food... (with a bit more research). Back to top Sue B Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 383 Location: Lincolnshire Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 2:50 pm    Post subject: This thread has got me thinking. I'm currently trying to hatch some chicks under a broody. Some of them are Cream Legbars which I'm told you can sex as chicks. I don't feel as happy about dispatching a cute fluffy chick but I would prefer to wait till there eating size. For me it seems less of waste of a life. (I'm prob just soft ) So If cockerels are to be kept for nearly a year (am I right here ) Do they need to be kept in any special way to stop them fighting etc. Back to top Old Man of the 80's Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 308 Location: Wittering, UK Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 11:31 pm    Post subject: Being a bit of a newbie to all this, and with regards the above comment, if you have to keep cockerels for the best part of a year, how do you shut them up? Is there a way I can sneak one down onto the allotment that no-one will hear? I would like to get a few more eggs through the incubator and am loathed to pay for them. Back to top Knobby Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 6707 Location: North Warwickshire Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 7:40 am    Post subject: Quote: how do you shut them up? Is there a way I can sneak one down onto the allotment that no-one will hear? Nope.......some people say by putting them in a box ! That is small & dark, and stops them from standing upright...(think battery chickens) this can stop them crowing during the early morning....i dont really agree with that method tho'.....hes only doing what comes natural, besides, my cockerels do most of there crowing throughout the daytime But......having a cockerel is great fun, theyre much more of a character to have than the ladies !! Back to top coco Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 319 Location: Northants Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 9:24 am    Post subject: In my experience, putting cocks in a box just don't work. I had to take one of ours to a holiday home 4 weeks ago. The only carrier that I had available was, in truth, too small for him. The poor fellow couldn't stand up and it was dark. He was put in at the very last moment and then swore at me (justifiably) for the whole journey. Oh, and before I suffer too much abuse for being cruel, he only had to travel for about 6 minutes. When he came home yesterday, in a larger box, he seemed to be fine. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First         The Poultry Keeper Forum Index -> General & Misc All times are GMT + 1 Hour Goto page Previous  1, 2 Page 2 of 2 Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group