Cockerel Info

Cockerels For Sale

Cockerels for sale in Cheshire are available at all times of the year. They are £15 each for the adult boys. The breeds we currently have are

Swedish Flower none available just at the moment
Salmon Faverolles cockerels hatched March 2024
Silkie miniature cockerels hatched February 2023 in Black, Lavender and Gold mix
Coming soon Cream Legbar and Copper Black Marans in chick form.

These roosters for sale are what we have left from our breeding program. We handle them regularly so consequently, they are mild mannered and accepting of human interaction. Some are just coming into breeding age but are still young. The younger boys might therefore be a better fit in a much younger flock. Please note that we NEVER pass on any unruly or bad-tempered cockerels. That is dirty pool as far as we are concerned.

Choosing a Cockerel

Cockerels make a beautiful and valuable addition to a flock of hens because they excel as an early warning sign of danger. You may be wondering “do I need a cockerel to live with my hens?” The quick answer is no, however, they will protect their flock of hens with vigour against any predator and very often with their lives. The boys also find food for the flock and will very happily provide fertility for the eggs when they are laid. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it – right?

It is always better to match the hen breed size with a similar sized cockerel. Something like a Cochin for instance is better suited to the large breed sizes like Cochin, Orpington or indeed another Brahma. You don’t need to get the same breed of cockerel as your hens, however, unless you want to do breeding for pure breeds.

Please note that we do not sell our boys for the table or for any other purpose than to accompany a flock of hens.

Most of our cockerels for sale are categorised as large fowl and large fowl heavy. They will not be suitable for bantam sized hens to avoid a squashing event. We do have a number of USA Silkie cockerels which are miniature versions of Silkies. All our pure breed cockerels are good examples of their breed. Our Silkie roosters are suitable for bantam chickens.

Examples of some of our Breeds in cockerel form

Pair of Cockerels looking into the kitchen window — Window dressing

Mr Light yellow blue Swedish Flower — Window dressing

Available Roosters at £15 each

The gallery above is a small selection of what we may have available at various times. Most are youngsters and don’t have proper tails yet as the hens they are with are finding them irresistible. Boys also feather up more slowly than the hens and almost always have a bare back and rather stumpy tail. These are the last feathers to make an appearance. Cockerels don’t show their true finery until they are at least 6 months old and even later in some breeds like Cochin.

All the boys we have are £15 each which reflects the amount of care and socialisation we have given to them as they grow. It also contributes to their feed and bedding costs. Selling the boys too cheaply also means that they could more likely become prey to those who might wish to do them harm or worst still use them for illegal fighting or baiting.

The benefits

Many people will tell you that a cockerel will prevent any hens having too much of a fight for the pecking order because he becomes top dog. This is not really accurate. Cockerels have 3 functions, 1. to find food, 2 to protect the flock, 3 to make more chickens. They are not really good at breaking up fights. What they do do is to make sure that the hens feel safe because the hens can leave the protection duties to the boy. A flock without a guardian has to do all the work themselves so they are always on high alert to detect any danger. The hens form the pecking order amongst themselves. A head chicken is always a hen. Cockerels form their own hierarchy amongst the males. Just like humans, many males like to portray that they are in charge, but the reality is often a different story.

Warnings and advisory about Cockerels

Cockerels are a very protective creature. As far as they are concerned, the hens belong to them, and them alone. They will take any perceived threat very seriously. A cockerel in attack mode will attack out of the blue with apparently no warning. Learn to understand their behaviour and more often than not they will not feel the need to feel defensive because of you. Adult Cock birds have VERY sharp spurs which will slice through wellingtons with ease. We would strongly advise against allowing any children to be around any cockerels. Cockerels in attack mode can do some serious and potentially life-changing damage to a child.

Warnings to consider with cockerel behaviour

Making any loud noises or shouting around a cock bird will dramatically increase his alert level and can cause him to lash out.
He is more likely to be in a more alert state in peak breeding season which is Spring and Summer.
Don’t bend over facing onto a cockerel. This is a direct threat posture.
Always listen to his noises. If he is making a deep murmur with 3 syllables then he is definitely warning you. Stand still and don’t look him in the eye. Bop bop bop bop bop noises are generally good noises.
Never turn your back on them. If they are going to attack, that is when it will likely happen.
Always watch his body language. If he raises his shoulder or his neck hackles, or pacing back and forth – be very wary.
Always look sideways to a bird. Looking straight in the eyes is a sign of a direct challenge.
Don’t allow noisy children to run around these birds. This can trigger the cockerel and an attack on a child could cause serious injury or blindness.
If you try to pick up any uncooperative hen, he will see that as a challenge.
When the light is fading, he is on very high alert. He cannot see very well in poor light and will instinctively react if he feels insecure.
Despite all of the above, you may get very little warning so get to know your bird.
Wear gloves and wellingtons to protect your hands and legs.
Cockerel spurs can easily shred wellingtons so be careful.

Gaining rapport

There are many schools of thought on how to build a good relationship with a cockerel. We find that as we handle them at least twice a day then they accept the interaction and don’t see us as a threat. Handle them respectfully and kindly as they need to learn to trust you. Abuse that trust and you won’t generally be able to recover the situation. Hitting or kicking an angry bird is NEVER a good move. You only have to get it wrong once and they don’t forgive or forget.

Noise nuisance

A cock-a-doodle-doo can be issued at random hours of the night if they hear a noise outside the coop. They do like to join in with the dawn chorus. Crowing and singing at dawn is common with all birds and at random intervals during the day. If they can hear another cock they will have crowing competitions which can go on for some time. The cockerel who has uttered the last word is the most powerful, so there is a lot riding on it as far as they are concerned. This has to be considered if you are within earshot of neighbours.

Myths surrounding cockerel crowing

So how can you stop a cockerel from crowing? In short, you can’t stop a cockerel crowing. The only cockerel that doesn’t crow is either dead or ill. It is a total myth that cockerels need to stretch their heads and cannot crow if head height is restricted. A cockerel can crow at any angle. Keeping them in absolute darkness won’t stop them either. Putting a cover over your coop will block ventilation holes which is obviously bad for their health. All birds know the time regardless of whether they can see daylight or not. Cockerels have acute hearing, which means they can hear the dawn chorus which is an irresistible signal to them to join in and have a good old sing song. Cock birds in common with all other flocking birds will have a little “natter” at dusk as the flock settles down for the night.

What you can do to reduce the need for a cockerel to crow is to keep a single boy. He won’t feel the need to be the loudest boy in existence. A well built coop will reduce the mount of possible threat noises he can hear. This can stop him crowing a warning if he feels a threat exists.

Anti-crow collar – No crow collar – Facts

An anti-crowing collar is a device which is put round the neck of the cockerel which restricts the amount of air he can draw to fuel his crowing volume. These have to be fitted correctly and tested regularly as they can move around. Crowing collars will reduce the noise level, however THEY ARE RISKY. We don’t advocate or use them, but many people do use them. The collar is fitted low down on the neck so that you can fit a little finger underneath it. Cockerels need to take a large breath in to crow, so the collar reduces the expansion of the neck. A collar causes risks of choking when the cockerel eats. Food can go down the wrong passage also and end up in the lungs. Collars also rub the neck and can result in sores which can get infected.

Facts about noise

In consultation with a noise engineer I gained the following nugget of information. “Sound is like water” if there is a hole, sound will escape. This means you would have to make your coop airtight to avoid noise escaping. Impossible right? Airtight and living creatures is not really a good mix.

A possible workaround to reduce Cockerel Noise

We bring all our cockerels in overnight into their own boxes so they don’t wake the neighbourhood. They go back out after 8am. This can work well for you as it did for us for many years. Keeping a cockerel in a built up area means that you need to be prepared to do some work. Environmental Health can make you get rid of the birds if they cause upset between the hours of 11pm and 8am or also if they cause a noise nuisance during the day. Noise nuisance of cockerels is measured by the local authorities in each area. Each authority tends to have their own definition of what their rules are, and which constitutes a noise nuisance so be aware of your obligations. Unfortunately if you are reported, your only options are to re-home which is very near impossible, or end the life of the cockerel.

What is classed as noise?

Cockerel noise is something which is always a bone of contention. In any urban or rural setting, we are exposed on a daily basis, to dogs barking, children screeching and wailing, emergency sirens, cows mooing, house and car alarms ringing, lawn mowers, DIY noises, jet washing noises, motorbikes revving their engines, car radios blaring out, traffic noise, factories hissing, couples arguing, drunks staggering and yelling, dawn chorus, pigeons cooing, seagulls mewing, aeroplanes passing, crows and jackdaws cawing, football fans chanting and church bells ringing. Despite all this, none of these often very loud events are thought of by the powers that be to be worthy of prosecution, but yet cockerels are.

France has been enlightened enough to decree that cockerels are allowed to have their say without the fear of an enforced death sentence. Good for them!

And Finally

Many people believe that you need a need a cockerel for your hens to lay eggs. This is not true as hens will still lay eggs even if they have never seen a cockerel in their entire lives. There are many many cockerels needing homes due to the fact that they are noisy and they fight if there is another boy in the vicinity. If you are able to give a cockerel a safe and secure home then please please do.

Cockerels For Sale Read More »

Chickens For Sale

Chicken Breeds / By HHens / 11th March 2025 / Cockerel Info, Hens

What Chickens for sale do we have?

Here at Hedgerow Henporium you will find that we have a varied selection of sweet-natured hens for sale. They are all at different ages depending on their hatch-date. We generally have between 50 and 150 birds available. Our poultry stock changes frequently throughout the year. It may turn out that we don’t have the age you are currently looking for, but we probably will in a few weeks time.

If you have questions or need more help please give us a call on 01244 =646 o26

Browse our Chicken Breeds Pages

Browse through our breeds pages as this lists what hens for sale we currently have. Click on the pictures below, or the breeds are also listed as a submenu of our chickens for sale menu. This will also give you more background on some other popular chicken breeds. We hope that this further information will make your decision easier.

How to Choose your chickens

Julie or Keith will be on hand to help you make your choice. Our suggestions for hens for sale based on what is suitable for your situation. We factor your skill level, and which will also be the most compatible with your household into consideration. Choosing a chicken is a bit like choosing chocolates because not everyone likes the same. You may find that once you have seen our girls, then you might even go home with something completely different from your original intention. I put this down to the chickens themselves because they are very capable of captivating their new owners.

Our top priority is to match you with your birds rather than just to make a sale. Any alternative suggestions we make are to improve harmony within a flock. Well matched flocks are more peaceful which in turn causes less stress to their keepers in the long run.

Our Ethos

Rearing and Pricing

Our chickens are not mass produced, so you won’t find our birds crammed into a warehouse by the thousands. Warehouse birds are not socialised and have no better conditions than battery hens.

We don’t “pile ’em high and sell ’em cheap” but we do charge a fair price for our chickens for sale. This accounts for the amount of work we have devoted to our lovely ladies. There are plenty of people who will sell cheap birds by cutting corners but this is not our way.

We do not sell single birds on welfare grounds because chickens are flock creatures. A flock would be a minimum of two birds, but three is a better number in case one dies for any reason.

We sell birds from day-old up to retirement age. Popular breeds get sold out quickly, so consider taking them as younger birds. Young birds, however, cannot mix with adult birds so you would need temporary alternative accommodation. It is rare we get to keep our stock so they become point of lay.

Outsourced Birds

We always like to know the history of any of our hens for sale, so we will never visit auctions to buy birds to sell on. You cannot guarantee the health status of any bargain-basement auction birds. Healthy chickens are very important to us and we won’t risk that for anything.

We do buy hatchery chicks in at day-old for some of our hybrids and our Muirfield stock but we raise them our way. The parent stock of hatchery chicks are disease free so there is no vertical transmission of disease through the egg (from parent to chick). Raising them ourselves, therefore, means we guarantee their health status and we know them individually.

Our Hen Guarantee

We will not cheat you by palming you off with a cockerel either. There are plenty of people who have day old chicks for sale that have not a rats chance in hell of sexing them correctly. We would recommend you avoid these people as they give no comeback. If we sell a hen to you we are happy to exchange it in the very rare event it turns out to be a cockerel. Any chicks that we sell as “unsexed” are not covered by our hen guarantee. We are very specific about informing you of “unsexed” chicks because the risk is they could be either male or female. Under these circumstances we simply cannot tell due to their age.

We hear so many tales of woe recounted by new keepers who get duped into buying cockerels. It happens far too often.

Cockerels for Sale

If you are looking for cockerels then check our cockerels page out.

Many cockerels are looking for homes (here and elsewhere) so if you are able to provide a suitable and safe home for one then please ask.

If you have obtained a cockerel from a dodgy dealer, then we are unable to re-home them for you. We also cannot take in any that you have hatched yourself. They are a huge infection risk and because we also have plenty of our own.

Our older ladies looking for retirement

In Autumn time we release some of our older hens for re-homing. We call these our retirement ladies. They may have passed their peak egg production or they might not be in our breeding plans for the coming year. Most are still in lay, albeit in lower numbers but this is not guaranteed. We offer these older hens for sale at lower cost. These are not “rescue hens” but we do want them to have a nice, caring home to end their days. If they are not re-homed, then they will simply get to stay here regardless. Check out our retirement ladies page. The average lifespan of most hens is about 4-5 years, but some can live for much longer.

We do occasionally get asked to re-home hens which for whatever reason can no longer be kept by their owners. If this is the case, we keep them in strict quarantine so they do not mix with any of our own birds. These re-homed chickens are on the basis of our not knowing their actual age or their history so we cannot offer any guarantee for those.

Do you Need to Vaccinate your chickens?

Well, the answer is, it depends on how they are grown. Chickens need vaccination only if they get raised in huge numbers such as in a warehouse or intensive barn. In these conditions, if one bird gets sick, then thousands will get sick. Not vaccinating is economic suicide for any mass-rearer. Vaccination is not for your benefit entirely – but is essential for the mass poultry-rearer. Small poultry breeders like ourselves don’t need to vaccinate our hens for sale. This is because birds that have space and no stresses, don’t face disease challenges. Immunity to disease grows over time and in stress free surroundings. Stress in overcrowded conditions suppresses almost all immune responses in a chicken.

Beware The Vaccination Claim Scam

You may find that some chickens for sale are described elsewhere as fully vaccinated. A full programme of vaccination begins at day old. Chickens then follow a specific schedule of many different vaccinations at very specific ages. This is not complete until 16 weeks old. If a seller describes a day old chick with full vaccination then there is a clear discrepancy. The seller should be able to tell you which vaccines were used and at what ages. Lots of “fly-by-nights” claim full chicken vaccination status when they have had nothing of the sort.

PLEASE NOTE: Do not mix vaccinated and non-vaccinated birds together. Shedding of any live viruses in the droppings will put non-vaccinated hens at risk for at least a year. Not all vaccines “take” either. It depends on good administration methods.

ALSO NOTE: There is also NO GUARANTEE that a vaccinated hen will never get sick.

Chickens for Sale Current Availability

We list our range of cockerels or hens for sale under the Chickens for Sale menu. Our choice of hens for sale is more limited in the winter but we have hens available all through the year. Garden chickens are all sold on a first come, first served basis. If you want a particular bird or breed, you should consider taking a younger bird when choice is much better. We don’t hold birds for any longer than a week as the ever present risk of damage due to fighting or even a visit from Mr Fox.

Please note that the price rises with age – usually on a Monday.

How do you get tame chickens

Chickens are a prey animal so they will take a good while to get used to their new environment. In the wild, any change in their vicinity is a potential threat situation. For happy, unstressed and tame chickens, it is therefore beneficial to allow them plenty of settling in time. Fussing or grabbing them too soon will make them skittish because they are unable to trust you. They will be happy to come to you when they are ready.

Don’t discount the younger birds. They offer an ideal opportunity to become really tame and friendly with you before the rigours of laying commences. Younger chickens are easier to handle for nervous youngsters and inexperienced adults alike. They are also cheaper, however, it does mean that you will have to wait longer for those delicious eggs to arrive. POL (or point of lay) is subjective and differs in each breed. Some chicken breeds start to lay at between 20 and 22 weeks, whereas others can be up to 35-40 weeks before the arrival of the first egg.

We are Unusual

If you decide to do a drive-by, you will be surprised at our residential exterior. Don’t be disheartened, because behind our unlikely frontage beats the heart of a thriving chicken breeding Henporium. Most of our customers say “wow” when they first see how well setup we are.

Book A Visit Today. To ensure we are around then please book ahead. we are not open for Unbooked visits except for Eating egg Sales

We are open but we cannot do viewings in the “normal” sense of the word, as it would need a visit through our home. Avian Influenza restrictions are now in force which means that we are still unable to have viewings in the old way. The need to maintain a high biosecurity means that possibly contaminated footwear and clothing is too high a risk to our birds.

In response to this, we now have to bring chickens through the house to a temp viewing cage we have set up in the garage. This requires some advanced notice so we can get them ready for when you are expected to arrive. Rounding chickens up does not always go smoothly, hence the notice period. Thirty minutes is usually sufficient for us assuming the hens play ball.

Our birds are only kept in the garage cage for the viewing time slot as it is not suitable for long term.

If you think you are not going to make your appointment then please let us know so we can avoid subjecting our birds to the stress of unnecessary capture and confinement.

We never sell stock that we would be unhappy to purchase ourselves.

Our chicken chores do take us outside quite a bit. More realistically, we are actually just cuddling chickens. If this is the case, we cannot hear the door knocker so please make sure to ring the bell. Once we know when you are arriving, we can be strategically placed to hear the bell. You will need to give us time to leap through the garden, and perhaps remove wellies before answering the door.

Payment

We accept card payments using our card machine which can also accept Applepay and Googlepay. However, if you would prefer to pay with cash then of course that is acceptable also.

Transporting your birds home

We don’t often have boxes available for transport. Please bring a suitable enclosed cardboard box or pet carrier with you to transport your new girls home. NB: a laundry basket with a towel draped over it is not suitable. We won’t release birds unless you can contain them safely in your vehicle. Loose birds cause accidents.

Aftercare

We send all our adoptees to their new homes with a complete care sheet, so you don’t flounder. All our hens for sale always come with lifetime support. We also happily offer telephone and email support at any time.

Our brief care sheet shows you how to care for chickens for the next few weeks, however, this can cover only a small fraction of what it means to be a confident and knowledgeable chicken parent. If you feel that you need more expert help to research about chicken care, then why not consider one of our invaluable chicken keeping courses. We now also have an online version. Details are on our courses page Click here for details

A good website if you are wanting a bit of the good life we recommend a visit to this website low cost living

If you have been to us before please consider leaving a review here on Trustpilot or any of the methods on our review page – with our grateful thanks.

Selection of our Available Chickens for sale

Hovering over the pictures below will tell you what breeds they show. Click the picture and it takes you to the page for that breed so you can find out more.