Brutus RIP

Brutus

It's a sad day here at the garden.  Brutus our first cockerel passed away today.  We don't know how old he was, he came to us from Little Hen Rescue almost two years ago and he was an adult then.

The day we got him, Nanny Southwellski, Coco and I went to collect six ex-battery hens from the rescue centre, and made a strict agreement that we would not have a cockerel, we weren't sure how a cockerel would be around Coco, we'd heard they could be a bit 'funny'.

So we left with six ex-battery hens and Brutus!

He was originally rescued from a roundabout near Bungay in Suffolk, where a whole flock had been living and expanding as people who no longer wanted their chickens dropped them off.

It then became apparent that local 'low life's' had been going down and abusing the chickens and hence they were rescued.

Here at the garden he quickly stamped his gentle but firm authority on his flock, and the dogs who gave him a wide berth.  He was a gentleman of a cockerel who was always respectful of us and in particular Coco and we never had to worry that he would attack her as he would simply wander away from her.

We have three hens that are his offspring so his presence will continue in our flock for a good while yet.

But I will miss his presence around the garden, his wandering around with me, close enough to be there but not close enough for me to hold him.  I will miss not having to worry about the hens getting back to the coop safely, he always did that.

His final resting place is under the apple tree in the fruit garden, one of his favourite haunts, especially when the strawberries were ready.

Will we replace him?

No I don't think so, he was one of a kind.