A lot of well-meaning people pick up the phone to us asking what they should do about the cockerel in their garden. Nine times out of ten, what’s put him there is this.

Some lovely person has decided they want to learn, or teach their kids, about the cycle of life. They buy six hatching eggs online, incubate them, and out pop six cute fluffy chicks. Trouble is, half are likely to become cockerels. Why is that a problem? Most obviously, there’s all that lusty dawn cock-a-doodle-doing. Which, unless you have very patient neighbours, is bound to cause tension. Also, if you have more than one cockerel, they’ll fight. It’s in their nature. As such they’re harder to rehome than hens. Now, I don’t hate cockerels! I’ve had some lovely ones, including Darwin, a magnificent chap who was with me six years. In the right environment, cockerels are good for hens – they keep them in line, and help defend against predators. But if you’re unprepared, problems crop up. The BHWT website has a ‘cockerel lonely hearts’ page, for people to post their unwanted cockerels in the hope they can find a new home. However, before it comes to that, we urge people to think carefully before buying hatching eggs. Ask yourself, if some come out as boys, do you have a plan? If not, well, there are better ways of learning about the facts of life.

bhwt.org.uk/cockerel-adoption